The Israeli parliament has passed legislation prohibiting the United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees, also known as Unrwa, from operating within Israel and the Palestinian territories. Unrwa has been labelled as a terrorist organisation, causing all ties with the Israeli government to be severed.
Unrwa, short for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, is the primary agency offering support to Palestinians throughout the Middle East. It was established in 1948 with the aim of helping the 700,000 Palestinians displaced during the war that led to Israel’s creation. Unrwa provides educational, health, relief, and social services, maintains camp infrastructure and manages shelters during times of conflict. Its operations extend across occupied areas of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, as well as Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
It’s financed primarily through voluntary contributions from UN member nations and a small portion of funding directly from the UN itself. With a workforce of 30,000 Palestinians, it caters to almost 6 million refugees. This includes 1,476,706 Palestinians registered as refugees within eight camps in Gaza, and 800,000 registered refugees in the West Bank.
In the ongoing Gaza conflict, Unrwa has been crucial in providing basic necessities such as food, water, and hygiene supplies to nearly the entire population of Gaza. Over 200 Unrwa staff members have lost their lives in Israeli attacks during the year-long war.
A total of 92 Israeli MPs backed a motion to ban Unrwa’s operations in Israel, with only ten opposing the action. Another legislation entered into force to cut off diplomatic ties with the agency. Israel has long argued that Unrwa has grown redundant and its continued assistance to descendants of those originally displaced in 1948 serves as a barrier to achieving peace. Critics, however, accuse Israel’s own actions, particularly its refusal to publicly accept the establishment of a Palestinian state and ongoing settlement activity on lands designated for such a state, of being the greatest hindrance to peace.
Recent claims by Israel that Unrwa has been employing Hamas militants throughout the current conflict have also been made. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has previously urged the US, Israel’s chief ally and Unrwa’s largest donor, to reduce its support, alleging that the agency is “riddled with Hamas.”
According to a six-page document from Israel provided to the US, a dozen staff members of Unrwa were implicated in the terror incidents of October 7, 2023, among them nine teachers in the organisation’s education establishments. The document also highlighted that Unrwa has on its payroll 190 militants linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which, if true, would account for 0.64% of Unrwa’s total personnel. Following an internal investigation, Unrwa terminated nine staff members but rejected allegations of knowingly supporting militant factions.
In the past, Unrwa has consistently shared its staff roster with Israel. This procedure was confirmed earlier this year by António Guterres, the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general.
What is the impact of the new Israeli law?
The new statutes – a few months away from being enacted – would brings about severe restrictions on Unrwa’s functions, blocking it from “directly or indirectly” running any institutions, offering any services or carrying out any operations. Critics argue that this could put at risk the already delicate mechanisms for distributing aid in Gaza, particularly as the US is presently urging Israel to boost aid.
A significant portion of Unrwa’s work is carried out in the West Bank and Gaza, an operation largely reliant on agreement with Israel, including their access to Gaza’s border crossings for humanitarian assistance. The proposed legislation makes no provisions for other organisations to take over these tasks.
What do other nations think?
Several governments and international aid organisations are voicing their opposition to this legislation. Critics argue that Israel has consistently neglected to formulate a suitable “post-conflict” plan for Gaza and has not suggested a feasible replacement for Unrwa – no such proposals were mentioned during the legislative debate.
Meanwhile, Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, told journalists in Washington on Monday that the Biden administration is notably alarmed about the new law. According to Miller, currently, amid the crisis, there is no viable alternative to Unrwa.
The Knesset’s endorsement of the bill attracted condemnation from Unrwa.
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of Unrwa, commented in a statement on X that the proposed legislation will only serve to further intensify the hardships experienced by Palestinians, particularly in Gaza. He emphasised that the region has endured over twelve months of relentless distress. He warned that the bills could rob upwards of 650,000 young boys and girls of their education, thereby threatening the future of an entire generation. Lazzarini further described the bills as a form of collective punishment, exacerbating the already existing plight of the Palestinians. – The Guardian