A text banning the activities in Israel of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) was approved on Monday October 28 in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, by 92 votes to 10, and must take effect 90 days after its adoption. Long very critical of the UN agency, Israel has accused certain UNRWA employees of having participated in the Hamas attack in the south of the country on October 7, 2023 and of being fighters of the movement Palestinian Islamist.
What is UNRWA?
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has for more than seven decades provided much-needed aid and assistance to Palestinian refugees, whether in war-torn Gaza or the West Bank. occupied, in Lebanon, Syria or Jordan. It is “a lifeline” for millions of people, recently summarized the Swiss Philippe Lazzarini, an old humanitarian who has headed the agency since 2020.
The agency was created in December 1949 by the United Nations General Assembly in the wake of the first Arab-Israeli conflict, shortly after the creation of Israel in May 1948. UNRWA’s mission was then to help some 750 000 Palestinians expelled during the war while a lasting solution was found. But in the absence of a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, UNRWA saw its mandate renewed to continue its mission. Since then, the number of refugees has increased eightfold to currently reach almost 6 million people protected by this very specific status of Palestinian refugee, linked to the first exodus. According to the agency’s website, they are registered in five areas of operations (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza).
UNRWA is the main provider of basic public services (education, health and mental health, relief and social services). It is also a major employer of the population it serves with more than 30,000 employees (including 13,000 in Gaza), mainly Palestinian refugees and a small number of international staff. The organization has 58 official refugee camps and operates more than 700 schools for more than 540,000 students. It also operates 141 primary health care facilities, with nearly seven million patient visits each year, and provides food and cash assistance.
What does Israel accuse UNRWA of?
UNRWA has long been in the crosshairs of Israel and its supporters who accuse the agency’s schools to teach hatred of Israel. Since October 7, the accusations have intensified. The agency is accused of serving as a front for Hamas and employing hundreds of Hamas members, including from the military wing. Israel in January accused a dozen of its employees of having been directly involved in the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas, which sparked the deadliest war in the territory.
A series of investigations revealed some “neutrality-related issues” at UNRWA, and determined that nine employees “may have been involved” in the October 7 attack, but found no evidence for the main Israel’s allegations.
These suspicions pushed many donor countries, including France, to suspend their funding in the middle of the war before finally resuming it for the majority, but not the United States, which left the agency in great financial precariousness. According to her boss, she should be able to find the $80 million she is missing by the end of 2024, in particular thanks to the unprecedented generosity of the general public.
The Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance in Germany, Luise Amtsberg, said on Monday that “UNRWA has taken steps to respond to allegations of support for terrorist organizations by individual members personnel and to reform internal procedures. According to The Worldthe agency also shares the list of its employees in Gaza with the Israeli authorities every year.
What are the reactions to Israel’s decision?
In the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas since 2007, the humanitarian situation was already critical before the start of the war, with more than 80% of the population living below the poverty line. The territory, wedged between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean, has eight camps and around 1.7 million refugees, the majority of the population of 2.4 million, according to the UN. Since October 7, the humanitarian situation has become catastrophic due to incessant bombings by the Israeli army and ground fighting. The war against Hamas has cost the lives of more than 43,000 people, mainly civilians, according to figures from the territory’s Health Ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.
“In the midst of all these upheavals, UNRWA is more essential than ever,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “If implemented, the laws passed today by Israel’s Knesset would likely prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with devastating consequences for Palestinian refugees,” he said. he warned about X.
The ban on UNRWA activities in Israel “creates a dangerous precedent”, notes the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, on X. The Palestinian Authority “rejects and condemns” the vote, believing that it is “an indication of the transformation of Israel into a fascist state”.
Even before the vote, the United States had declared itself “very concerned” by the text and had “urged” the Israeli government “not to approve it”, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller . The United Kingdom also said it was “gravely concerned” by the vote: “This legislation risks making the essential work of UNRWA impossible for the Palestinians,” denounced British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Germany also “strongly criticizes” the bill, and points out a “dangerous signal of lack of respect for the United Nations and for international cooperation”. Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Spain, which recognize the State of Palestine, “condemned” the vote in a joint statement on Monday.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X that “sustainable humanitarian aid must be available to Gaza now and in the future […] We stand ready to work with our international partners to ensure that Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian assistance to Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel’s security.”