10/31/2024
The Israeli Knesset recently passed two bills prohibiting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, known as UNRWA, from operating in Israel. This ban is expected to reduce the distribution of aid throughout war-torn Gaza.
UNRWA supports Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, as well as neighboring countries.
In the following lines, we provide an explanation and interpretation of the decision and its effects, while addressing the agency and the services it provides.
1/What is UNRWA?
UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and is the main humanitarian organization in Gaza and the West Bank, and also operates in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1949 after the 1948 Nakba to protect and assist Palestinians, who were ethnically displaced from their homes.
The organization began its work on May 1, 1950, and since then it has helped generations of refugees, many of whom still live in camps.
UNRWA provides education, health care, social services and emergency relief to people living in refugee camps in the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
2/Why did Israel decide to ban UNRWA activities?
This is not the first time that UNRWA has been subjected to pressure from the Israeli authorities. Last January, Tel Aviv accused UN employees of participating in the attacks of October 7, 2023. This led many countries to reduce the funding they provide to UNRWA, including That is Australia, Austria, Britain, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland and the United States.
After a United Nations oversight body investigated the accusation that UNRWA employees were involved in the attacks, nine of them were dismissed last August.
3/What is the impact of the two draft laws?
One of the bills would make it illegal for Israeli officials to have any contact with UNRWA.
The second prevents UNRWA from carrying out activities within Israel’s borders, and this will make it impossible for the agency to obtain any entry permits to work in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, both of which are under Israeli control.
It would also make it impossible for the agency to transfer aid from Israel to Palestinians in need.
4/How many Palestinians benefit from UNRWA services?
Nearly 6 million Palestinians have relied on UNRWA support in the past 70 years.
According to the UNRWA website, “In 2021, approximately 545,000 children were registered in UNRWA schools for the academic year (2021-2022), Social Safety Net Program assistance reached 398,044 beneficiaries, and 1.7 million people received life-saving humanitarian assistance.”
5/What aid does UNRWA provide to the Palestinians?
UNRWA provides vital humanitarian assistance and protection to millions of registered Palestine refugees.
Aside from the emergency relief and year-round assistance that poor residents need to survive, UNRWA provides primary health care and mental health support.
Its services also include schools where more than half a million children were studying, before Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.
UNRWA also tries to provide job opportunities, microfinance programs and support to Palestinians who wish to develop income-generating initiatives.
Most of UNRWA’s operations take place inside Palestinian refugee camps, but it does not build, own or manage any camps, and provides humanitarian services inside and outside the camps, to any Palestinian in need.
6/What health care facilities does UNRWA supervise?
UNRWA clinics receive approximately 8.5 million patients annually through 144 health care centers, and employ more than 3,300 health care employees, making it an important employer in the Palestinian health sector.
7/What other social services does UNRWA provide?
The social service programs provided by UNRWA are diverse, ranging from programs to help women enter the labor market, to supporting people with disabilities, and the agency runs many vocational skills training programs.
It also provides training programs for women in traditional crafts, tailoring, knitting, and embroidery, in addition to physical rehabilitation center services for injured Palestinians or Palestinians who suffer from disabilities.