Israel ban all the activities of the UNRWA

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On Monday evening, the Israeli Knesset passed a bill banning the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in its territories.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, “The Knesset General Assembly approved, this evening (Monday), in the second and third readings, two laws stipulating the cessation of UNRWA activities in Israel, some of whose employees are suspected of participating in the October 7, 2023 massacre”.

Any bill requires three readings by the Knesset to become law, as 92 Knesset members (out of 120) voted in favor of a bill to ban UNRWA activities in Israel, while 10 opposed.

According to the bill submitted by MKs Boaz Bismuth (Likud), Sharren Haskel (National Right), Eli Dalal (Likud) and other MKs, “UNRWA won’t have any representation, won’t provide any service and won’t carry out any activity, directly or indirectly, in the sovereign territory of the State of Israel”.

According to the bill, “UNRWA’s activities in East Jerusalem will be halted, and its powers will be transferred to the responsibility and control of Israel”.

The 1967 agreement, which allowed UNRWA to operate in Israel, will be cancelled, and the agency’s activities in the country and the occupied Palestinian territories will cease, and any contact between Israeli officials and its employees will be prohibited, according to Israeli law.

Israel claims that UNRWA employees contributed to the October 7, 2023, al Aqsa Intifada, and that “the agency’s education system supports terrorism and hatred”.

UNRWA constantly, denied Israel’s allegations, and the United Nations confirmed that the agency is neutral and focuses exclusively on supporting refugees.

From their part, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said on Monday that the decision issued by the Israeli Knesset to ban our activities is “unprecedented, sets a dangerous precedent, and contradicts the United Nations Charter”.

Lazzarini wrote on X, commenting on Israel’s ban on the agency’s activities, where he wrote, “the latest decision in an ongoing campaign to discredit us and delegitimize our role in providing human development assistance and services to Palestinian refugees”.

He considered the ban on the agency’s services to be “collective punishment” because it’s a decision that will “deepen the suffering of the Palestinians, especially in the Gaza Strip, where people have been living through more than a year of hell”.

Lazzarini stressed that banning UNRWA services won’t deprive the Palestinians of their refugee status, as this status is protected by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly until a just and lasting solution to their plight is reached.

He described the decision as unprecedented, sets a dangerous precedent, contravenes the UN Charter, and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law.

He pointed out that the Israeli Knesset’s decision will deprive more than 650,000 girls and boys of education, putting an entire generation of children at risk.

“Failure to reject these laws would weaken our joint multilateral mechanism, established after World War II, and this should be a concern for all,” Lazzarini wrote.

UNRWA was established by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in 1949, prior to the Palestinian “Nakba” and was mandated to provide assistance and protection to Palestine refugees in its five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

UNRWA provides relief, health and educational services to Palestinian refugees in its five areas of operation: The West Bank, including Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

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