The Guardian / October 10, 2024
Members of the UN security council have warned Israel against proceeding with a law aimed at curbing the UN’s Palestinian refugees agency.
Israel has long been at odds with the agency known as UNRWA and alleged, without providing any evidence, that 12 of its thousands of employees were involved in the 7 October Hamas attacks that triggered the war in Gaza.
Israel has long opposed the agency because its very existence confirms that Palestinians are refugees, and has been accused of deliberately hindering its humanitarian work, including by harassing and beating its staff, while Israeli residents of Jerusalem repeatedly attacked its headquarters this year and set fire to it at least twice.
AFP reports further:
The foreign affairs and defense committee in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, approved two bills on Sunday essentially aimed at ending UNRWA’s activity and privileges in Israel. These bills were quickly condemned by UN chief Antonio Guterres.
Washington’s envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Wednesday that the United States was “following with deep concern the Israeli legislative proposal that could alter UNRWA’s legal status.”
She said it risked “hindering its ability to communicate with Israeli officials and removing privileges and immunities afforded to UN organizations and personnel around the globe.”
Algeria, which along with Slovenia called the emergency Security Council meeting on the crisis in the Palestinian territories, said “for years, the Israeli authorities has made clear its desire, its will to dismantle UNRWA.”
“It symbolizes the Palestinian refugees and their inviolable rights. We reiterate that the rights of Palestinian refugees are not subject to statutes of limitation,” said Amar Bendjama, ambassador of non-permanent Security Council member Algeria.
All UN Security Council members that spoke were unanimous in calling for Israel to respect UNRWA’s work and to protect its staff.
“Senior Israeli officials have described destroying UNRWA as a war goal,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini warned the Security Council, noting that 226 UNRWA personnel have been killed in 12 months.
“Legislation to end our operations is ready for final adoption by the Israeli Knesset.
“It seeks to ban UNRWA’s presence and operations in the territory of Israel, revoking its privileges and immunities, in violation of international law.
“If the bills are adopted, the consequences will be severe. Operationally, the entire humanitarian response in Gaza – which rests on UNRWA’s infrastructure – may disintegrate.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that he had written to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning the legislation “could prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour told the Security Council that “we totally support UNRWA and what Lazzarini said and take it very seriously, and honour what is a very indispensable organization that should be protected by all means.”
“It is the greatest success story in the history of the United Nations,” Mansour said.
UNRWA was created in 1949 to support Palestinian refugees across several countries.
