Israel prevents the UNRWA aid organization from working in the country

In a move that may affect UNRWA’s operations in war-torn Gaza, Israel enacted a bill on Monday prohibiting the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency from functioning there.

The law’s drafters pointed to several UNRWA employees’ involvement in the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, as well as their affiliation in Hamas and other armed groups.

Some of Israel’s Western allies and the United Nations are concerned that the legislation may exacerbate the already grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Hamas terrorists for a year. Operations in or outside of the Palestinian territory are not covered by the prohibition.

“Terrorist acts against Israel by UNRWA employees must be held responsible. “Sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza now and in the future, as preventing a humanitarian crisis is also crucial,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media following the decision.

“In the 90 days before this legislation takes effect – and after – we stand ready to work with our international partners to ensure Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel’s security.”

An amendment to the new law was also approved by Parliament, which stated that future exceptions to the rule prohibiting Israeli officials from contacting UNRWA would be possible.

The vote, according to UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, is a “dangerous precedent” that goes against the U.N. charter and Israel’s international law obligations.

“This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role towards providing human-development assistance and services to #Palestine Refugees,” he posted on the social networking site X.

Millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria receive relief, health care, and education from UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which employs tens of thousands of people.

Its relationship with Israel has always been contentious, but since the conflict in Gaza began, things have drastically worsened, and Israel has repeatedly demanded that UNRWA be shut down and its duties transferred to other U.N. organizations.

Nine UNRWA employees may have been engaged in the Oct. 7 attack and were dismissed, the U.N. stated in August. An Israeli attack last month killed a Hamas leader in Lebanon, who was later discovered to have worked for UNRWA. A U.N. humanitarian worker was also one among the commanders killed in Gaza last week. Both persons had been proven to have worked for UNRWA.

“If the United Nations is not willing to clean this organization from terrorism, from Hamas activists, then we have to take measures to make sure that they cannot harm our people ever again,” Sharren Haskel, an Israeli politician, stated.

“The international community could have taken responsibility and made sure that they used the proper organizations to facilitate humanitarian aid, like the World Food Organization, like UNICEF, and many others who work all around the world,” Haskel added.

Before the voting, a UNRWA spokeswoman declared that the proposed law would be a “disaster” and would significantly affect the organization’s humanitarian efforts in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

“We are aware that prior attempts to take the place of UNRWA and offer aid have been a complete failure,” stated Juliette Touma, the organization’s principal spokesman.

“It’s outrageous that a member state of the United Nations is working to dismantle a UN agency which also happens to be the largest responder in the humanitarian operation in Gaza.”

East Jerusalem, which Israel seized in a move that is not recognized internationally, will probably be directly impacted by the bill.
UNRWA’s efforts there have been ineffective for years, according to Boaz Bismuth, another author of the bill. “Groups like UNRWA won’t take you to the Middle East if you truly want stability, security, and true peace,” Bismuth stated.

Significant international pressure has been exerted on Israel to take more action to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza and to increase relief for those displaced by Israel’s war.

Prior to the legislation’s passage, foreign ministers from Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and Britain released a statement expressing “grave concern.”

“It is crucial that UNRWA and other UN organizations and agencies be fully able to deliver humanitarian aid and their assistance to those who need it most, fulfilling their mandates effectively,” added the statement.