This means that the organization can hardly continue its operations in the Palestinian territories because Israel controls the border crossings. This massively restricts the work of the Palestinian relief organization.
In the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, which has a total of 120 seats, 92 members of the government and the opposition voted for the project. UN Secretary General António Guterres and Israel’s important Western allies had clearly spoken out against the plans.
Israel accuses the organization of some of its employees being involved in terrorist activities, such as the massacre by the Islamist Hamas on October 7 last year. An initially planned official classification of UNRWA as a terrorist organization was no longer part of two bills on the subject on the Knesset agenda. However, authorities in Israel will be banned from any contact with the organization once the new law comes into force. This should happen within 90 days of its publication. The aid organization would have to stop all activities on Israeli territory – this particularly affects the Arab-dominated eastern part of Jerusalem.
Angry debates in Parliament
There were angry debates in Parliament before the vote. An Arab MP spoke of a “fascist law” aimed at the continued oppression of the Palestinian people. The initiators reacted with loud shouts, and a representative had to be removed from the hall after several warnings.
UN Secretary General António Guterres spoke out clearly against the plan. Such a law would “stifle” efforts to ease human suffering and tensions in the Gaza Strip – and also in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, he warned. “It would be a catastrophe in what is already a complete disaster.” Particularly in the embattled Gaza Strip, dramatic effects are feared for the population of around two million people who rely on UNRWA’s vital assistance.
According to media reports, representatives of the Israeli Foreign Ministry also expressed concerns about the practical consequences. In the worst case scenario, Israel could be excluded from the United Nations. But the USA could prevent this through a veto in the Security Council.
Serious allegations against UNRWA
Israel has repeatedly made serious allegations against UNRWA in the past. Accordingly, several employees of the organization are said to have been involved in the massacre on October 7, 2023 and the organization as a whole was infiltrated by Hamas.
Shortly before the Knesset’s decision, seven Western countries expressed their “deep concern” about the legislative plans. In a statement, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea “strongly” called on the Israeli government to comply with its international obligations.
The prerogatives of UNRWA should not be restricted and humanitarian aid and basic services for the civilian population must continue to be made possible. The ministers emphasized that UNRWA had taken steps to dispel allegations of support by individual employees for terrorist organizations.
Sharp criticism
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank had also sharply criticized the Knesset’s decision in advance. The law violates international law and is a provocation for the entire international community.
There can be no solution to the conflict without a just solution to the refugee issue in accordance with international law, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s authority affirmed in a statement carried by the Palestinian news agency WAFA.