Knesset bans UNRWA, plans to build 1,440 housing units on the agency’s East Jerusalem land
With a margin of 92 to 10, the Israeli parliament approves two bills to end the activities of the UN agency for Palestinians, accused of covering for Hamas. This has sparked criticism from the international community. For UNRWA commissioner-general, the bill is “unprecedented”, while UN chief Guterres calls the agency’s work “essential”. Meanwhile, Israel plans to expropriate UNRWA’s compound to build homes for settlers in East Jerusalem.
Milan (AsiaNews) – Israel has passed legislation designed to expel the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA). “[Y]our story ends here,” said MK Yulia Malinovsky, the sponsor of pone of the bills banning the UN agency.
This controversial decision has sparked criticism from several countries and appeals from various groups, because it risks causing the collapse of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
To justify the legislation, Malinovsky wrote on X, “These are your colleagues from UNRWA who abducted the body of Yonatan Samerano on October 7th,” referring to the Hamas attack that caused the death of over 1,200 people and the taking of at least 251 hostages. “Yesterday, we brought a small measure of justice to Yonatan’s parents,” she added.
In fact, the images shown in the video have not been verified and Israel itself has not provided any hard evidence that 19 UNRWA members (in an organisation with 30,000 employees) were involved. The agency fired nine employees for alleged irregularities, but this was not enough.
Reactions to the vote
Among the first to condemn the Knesset's decision, which has broad support among Israeli leaders starting with Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, was UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini, who calls the bill “unprecedented” as it “opposes the UN Charter and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law”.
Criticising the bill is justified, he explains, by the serious humanitarian emergency in Gaza due to the war launched by Israel in response to the Hamas attack, which has turned Gaza into "sheer hell". He laments that, “It will deprive over 650,000 girls and boys there from education, putting at risk an entire generation of children.”
The UN agency is the main organisation operating on the ground. Israel has opposed it for decades, cranking up its attacks over the past year until yesterday's parliamentary session that might put an end to its existence.
For Lazzarini, Israel’s decision is part of an "ongoing campaign" to discredit the organisation and "delegitimise its role towards providing human-development assistance and services" to Palestinian refugees, calling the action a form of “collective punishment”.
Malinovsky's bill was approved by 92 votes to 10 in the 120-seat Knesset. Only Israeli Arab members voted against, while the others voted as one, more than the number of Members who back the Netanyahu government.
UNRWA has been providing aid to Palestinian refugees since 1949 and has offered a range of services for decades, including health care and education to millions of people in Gaza.
Since the war broke out in Gaza, it has played a crucial part in the taxing mission of bringing aid to civilians, working with the Israeli military that controls the two main border crossings.
About two and a half million Palestinians are registered with UNRWA in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip,
In a joint statement, Ireland, Spain, Norway, and Slovenia condemned the Knesset for approving legislation that prevents the agency from carrying out its “essential and irreplaceable”. In their view, the legislation “sets a very serious precedent for the work of the United Nations”.
For its part, the United Kingdom said that it was "gravely concerned" about Israel’s move, which “risks making UNRWA's essential work for Palestinians impossible”.
Similar reactions followed from France, Germany, and other countries, including Japan and South Korea in Asia, as well as the United Nations itself, which calls the bill “outrageous”.
The United States has also tried to put pressure on Israel not to approve the law, to no avail.
Israel targets UNRWA headquarters
With this decision, which will come into force within 90 days, the Israeli parliament will prevent the UN agency from working in Gaza and the West Bank, delivering humanitarian aid, with tragic consequences for the civilian population.
In addition, another bill approved yesterday will scrap the tax exemptions the agency has enjoyed hitherto, depriving its members of diplomatic immunity, and freezing all contacts with Israeli officials.
There is also the issue of UNRWA compound in Ma'alot Dafna-Sheikh Jarrah (East Jerusalem), which the Israeli government plans to seize after cutting off water and electricity. It plans to demolish its facilities to build 1,440 housing units in pursuit of its settlement policy.
So far, the headquarters provided administrative services for the agency, but the area is now expected to come under the control of the Israel Land Authority (ILA), whose plans to settle are already in the works.
Over the past year, the area was often the scene of protests by the families of Israeli hostages and Israeli soldiers who died fighting in Gaza, who called for it to be shut down.
Plans to expropriate the compound had already emerged in the recent past and yesterday's vote simply confirms Israel's expansionist project in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Likud MK Dan Iloz told Israel Hayom that "the expropriation of land in Jerusalem is an important step, but not enough" and slammed UNRWA as "a hotbed of terrorism under humanitarian guise".
UNRWA: an essential presence
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that UNRWA’s work is “essential”, and removing it will have "devastating consequences” for Palestinian refugees,
The UN chief reminded Israel of its obligations under the Charter and international law, saying that he would raise the issue at the General Assembly, reiterating once again that "there is no alternative to UNRWA".
The agency employs about 30,000 people across the Middle East: West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria itself. Some 13,000 provide humanitarian, health and educational assistance in Gaza, and cannot be replaced in a few months while war rages in the territory.
Across the Middle East, UNRWA’s work in dozens of Palestinian refugee camps is essential, helping almost six million Palestinian refugees, 1.7 million in Gaza and about 870,000 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
This year in Gaza, together with the Red Crescent Society, the agency oversaw the distribution of almost all the aid sent by the United Nations, as well as a massive anti-polio vaccination campaign for 640,000 children.
UNRWA runs about 180 schools in the Palestinian enclave, described by NGOs as an "open-air prison" even before the war; since the latter broke out, they have had to interrupt their activities, becoming shelters for displaced people.
In 12 months, UNRWA has carried out hundreds of thousands of interventions to support Gazan families, from food to medical care. Nevertheless, its facilities have not been spared by the war, becoming a target in some cases.
According to the latest report on the UNRWA website, 464 incidents were recorded since the start of the war directly impacting the agency’s facilities and people, including at least 74 episodes when the Israeli military entered their facilities.
At least 190 installations have been fired upon or were subjected to interference by armed actors.
UNRWA estimates that at least 563 internally displaced people who had taken refuge in its facilities were killed and at least 1,790 wounded.
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03/02/2023 14:31
