Knesset Bans UNRWA from East Jerusalem, Gaza and West Bank
On October 28 the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) approved two laws aimed at blocking, in areas under Israeli control, the activity of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which services Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank. The first bill states that UNRWA will no longer "operate any institution, provide any service, or conduct any activity, whether directly or indirectly," in Israel. The second bill states that the treaty between Israel and UNRWA, signed following the Six Day War in 1967, will expire within seven days of the bill passing its final voting in the Knesset.
Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General, responded immediately on his official X account saying: "The vote by the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) against UNRWA this evening is unprecedented and sets a dangerous precedent. It opposes the UN Charter and violates the State of Israel's obligations under international law. 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. These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell."
In a letter addressed to His Excellency Mr. Philémon Yang, President of the General Assembly, Lazzarini rejected the Israeli lies that UNRWA is "one of the arms of terror that acted under UN auspices."
"[F]or over 15 years, UNRWA has shared annually the names of its staff with the Government of Israel. This includes the names of staff about whom the government never previously raised concerns but who have now been included in government lists alleging armed militancy. The Agency takes every allegation extremely seriously. It has sent repeated requests to the government — in March, April, May, and July — appealing for evidence to enable action. No response has been received. UNRWA is therefore in the invidious position of being unable to address allegations for which it has no evidence, while these allegations continue to be used to undermine the Agency," Lazzarini wrote.
He reminded the President that the April 2024 Independent Review of UNRWA's neutrality (the Colonna Report) noted that "UNRWA has a more robust neutrality framework than any comparable organization." He added that the Agency has been subject to Israeli "allegations regarding the military use of its premises by Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas," none of which have been substantiated. "The Agency cannot possibly verify these allegations," Lazzarini wrote, saying "There must be accountability through an independent investigation."
What can be documented with certainty however is that UNRWA has been under intense physical attack by Israel and the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in Gaza. At least 237 UNRWA personnel have been killed. Over 200 premises have been damaged or destroyed, killing more than 560 people seeking UN protection. Dozens of UNRWA staff have been detained and report being tortured.
The letter concludes by lauding the heroism of the UNRWA staff in Gaza and the occupied territories and characterizes the latest Israeli attack on the Agency as an attack on institutions of international order and the rule of law. "The rules-based international order is crumbling in a repetition of the horrors that led to the establishment of the United Nations, and in violation of commitments to prevent their recurrence. The attacks on UNRWA are an integral part of this disintegration."
(Jerusalem Post, Lazzarini X post)
This article was published in
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/ITN2024/Articles/TI54425.HTM
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