Politics

Israel's ban on UNRWA sparks international outcry

The implementation of the ban is expected to have a catastrophic impact on Palestinians, with many Western governments and aid agencies express their deep concern

Eyad BABA / AFP

A Palestinian woman walks past a damaged wall bearing the UNRWA logo at a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 28, 2024.

Israel's ban on UNRWA sparks international outcry

Con Coughlin

last update on 30 Oct 2024

The Israeli government’s decision to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating in Israel is the culmination of a catastrophic breakdown in relations between the UN and the Jewish state since the October 7 attacks.

New legislation passed by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, prohibits the organisation from operating in Israel—a move that critics say will restrict UNRWA’s ability to carry out vital humanitarian aid work for Palestinians living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza.

While the aid body will still be able to operate in the Palestinian territories, the new law approved by the Knesset, which will come into force within 90 days, could have the effect of blocking the current network of humanitarian aid routes to Gaza and the West Bank, shut down UNRWA’s office in East Jerusalem and restrict entry and work permits for UNRWA staff.

Reactions pour in

The decision by the Israeli parliament, which represents a new low in relations between Israel and the UN, has already prompted an international outcry, with several Western leaders warning of the impact the decision is likely to have on Gaza, where aid agencies claim Palestinian civilians are facing a humanitarian crisis.

In Washington, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the Biden administration was “deeply concerned” about the vote in the Israeli parliament and that UNRWA had an “irreplaceable” role in providing aid to the Gaza Strip.

.@leobruneau asked StateSpox about Israel voting to ban UNRWA earlier today.
Miller: The passage of this legislation could have implications under US law...UNRWA plays a critical role in delivering humanitarian assistance
Sovote today would directly contradict US “demands”... pic.twitter.com/Si72LQqcgP
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) October 28, 2024

“We continue to urge the government of Israel to pause the implementation of this legislation,” Miller told reporters moments before the bills banning UNRWA’s operations in Israel were passed. “We urge them not to pass it at all. We will consider next steps based on what happens in the days ahead.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Israel to “act consistently” with its international law obligations, arguing that there was no alternative to UNRWA in terms of the wide-ranging support it provided to the Palestinian people.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK was “gravely concerned” at the bills passed by Israel because they jeopardised the “entire international humanitarian response” in Gaza.

Rocky relations

Israel has never enjoyed the easiest of relations with the UN, with relations with the New York-based body deteriorating steadily since the 1970s when the UN General Assembly passed a resolution declaring Zionism to be “a form of racism and racial discrimination.”

Israel's ban on UNRWA is a new low in relations between Israel and the UN

In March of this year, Israel alleged UN staff were involved in the October 7 attacks, prompting a number of Western nations to freeze their funding for the UN body. But in April, the US resumed funding of UNRWA along with the European Union (EU), Canada, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, and Japan, "based on their own investigations and, in some cases, on the findings of the United Nations' own internal investigation (which was shared with some UN member states)."

Nonetheless, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted to the Knesset on Monday before the legislation was passed that "UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable."

Israel has also had it out for Guterres—a fierce critic of Israel's military offensive in Gaza during the past year. The UN Secretary-General famously said that the attacks "did not happen in a vacuum", drawing the ire of Israel. Still, this did not stop Guterres from repeatedly denouncing Israel's killing of civilians in Gaza, which he has denounced as being "totally unacceptable." Israel responded to the UN chief's criticisms earlier this month by declaring Guterres "persona non grata" and banning him from entering the country.

Catastrophic impact

The deepening rift between the Netanyahu government and the UN has now resulted in the banning of UNRWA—a move that many Western governments and aid agencies believe could have a catastrophic impact on the well-being of Palestinian civilians, especially in Gaza. UNRWA employs over 30,000 people, most of them Palestinian refugees, as well as a small number of international staff.

REUTERS/Ramadan Abed — Palestinians gather as they register for medical checkups at a health center run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

Many countries, including Belgium, have argued that Israel's decision is in breach of the UN General Assembly mandate granted to UNRWA. The Belgian foreign ministry issued a statement following the Knesset vote saying that it "deeply regrets the anti-UNRWA laws" passed by Israel as they are "in direct breach of Israel's obligations under international law."

The decision by the Knesset to ban UNRWA certainly takes the breakdown in relations to an entirely new level—one that could scuttle the latest diplomatic initiative to arrange a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. At a time when there are renewed efforts to negotiate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, Israel's decision makes the prospect of ending the violence even more problematic.

The deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza has already prompted the Biden administration to threaten to halt military supplies to Israel if it does not act to improve the flow of aid into the enclave. The intensification of US pressure on Israel prompted Netanyahu to deny at the weekend that the Israelis were not implementing siege tactics on Gaza as part of their military effort to destroy Hamas.

But with the Biden administration now effectively reduced to lame duck status ahead of next week's US presidential elections, it is unlikely it will be able to put any real pressure on Israel to comply with its obligations under international law.

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