Last week, UNRWA was banned from operating within Israel’s borders and now Israel’s Foreign Ministry has officially notified the United Nations that it is cutting all ties with the aid organization.
In late October, Israel’s parliament enacted legislation that prohibits the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating within Israel. The law also restricts Israeli authorities from any form of cooperation with the UN agency, which effectively prevents UNRWA from continuing its work in the region. Given that Israel controls key border crossings into Gaza, this restriction largely limits UNRWA’s ability to function in areas it traditionally serves.
UNRWA was established after the 1948 war, primarily to help the hundreds of thousands of Arabs displaced from their homes by the creation of Israel – but Tel Aviv has long accused the organization of being anti-Israel and of having links to various Palestinian groups and interests.
Since the start of the Gaza war, Israeli criticism of UNRWA has intensified, including accusations that the UN agency was infiltrated by Hamas and that several staff members were involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel.
Israel also claims that 13,000 of the approximately 30,000 UNRWA employees have “terrorist connections”, which it claims the UN has ignored, and this is thus used as the main reason for the Netanyahu government to tear up all agreements with the organization after 57 years.
Children & their education are not featured in any discussions when “experts “ or politicians talk about replacing @UNRWA .
Why?
Because in the absence of a functioning state, there is no alternative.
Until October last year, @UNRWA provided learning to over 300,000 boys &… pic.twitter.com/uuTNZ3xXw6
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) November 3, 2024
Even the US speaks out
UNRWA has long been the main aid agency in the region, but the Israeli foreign ministry claims that the activities of other international organizations will now be expanded and that “preparations will be made to end the connection with UNRWA and to boost alternatives to UNRWA”.
However, Israel’s actions have drawn considerable global criticism, with many expressing concern that effectively banning UNRWA could lead to increased deaths from starvation and disease among Palestinian civilians. Critics also warn that it may facilitate conditions in which Israel could evade accountability for alleged war crime.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres points out that this action is contrary to both international law and the UN Charter, and even Israel’s ally the United States has endorsed the UN Security Council’s statement that “strongly warned against any attempts to dismantle or diminish UNRWA’s operations and mandate”.
