Israel’s parliament votes to ban UN relief agency

The legislation, passed on Monday, risks collapsing the already fragile aid distribution process at a moment when the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is worsening and Israel is under increased pressure to allow in aid supplies.

The ban is set to take effect in 90 days and lead to the closure of UNRWA’s premises in the occupied Palestinian territory – the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem – and the besieged enclave, effectively paralysing the agency’s ability to fulfil its mandate as set out by the UN General Assembly in 1949.

UNRWA is the leading agency running humanitarian aid in Gaza, which has been devastated by more than a year of Israel’s war. Hundreds of UNRWA workers have been killed in Israeli attacks, making it the deadliest conflict for UN workers.

The first law, which bans UNRWA from conducting “any activity” or providing any service inside Israel, passed 92-10 following a fiery debate between supporters of the bill and its opponents, primarily members of Arab parliamentary parties.

The second legislation, which declares UNRWA a “terror” group and bans Israeli officials from any contact with the agency, passed 87-9.

The UNRWA head said the ban set “a dangerous precedent” and would “only deepen the suffering of Palestinians”.

“This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA… These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians,” the agency’s chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.

Earlier, a UNRWA spokesperson decried the move as “outrageous”.

“It’s outrageous that a member state of the United Nations is working to dismantle a UN agency which also happens to be the largest responder in the humanitarian operation in Gaza,” Juliette Touma told the AFP news agency.

The media adviser to UNRWA, Adnan Abu Hasna, stated that Israel’s decision to ban the organisation would mean the collapse of the humanitarian process as a whole.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Hasna described the decision as an “unprecedented” escalation.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called UNRWA’s work “indispensable” and said there is “no alternative” to the agency.

“The implementation of the laws could have devastating consequences for Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which is unacceptable,” he added, calling on Israel to “act consistently with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and its other obligations under international law”.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said UNRWA has been an “irreplaceable lifeline” for the Palestinian people for the past seven decades.

“UNRWA was created by the UN member states. Today’s decision by the Israeli parliament barring UNRWA from its life-saving and health-protecting work on behalf of millions of Palestinians will have devastating consequences,” he wrote on X.

“This is intolerable. It contravenes Israel’s obligations and responsibilities, and threatens the lives and health of all those who depend on UNRWA,” he added.

The UN agency has provided essential aid and assistance across Palestinian territory – including the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, as well as to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria – for more than seven decades.

It has for years been subject to harsh Israeli criticism, which escalated after the start of Israel’s ongoing deadly assault on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian presidency condemned the ban, stressing it would not allow such a move.

“We reject and condemn the legislation… We will not allow this… The overwhelming vote of the so-called Knesset [Israel’s parliament] shows Israel’s transformation into a fascist state,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman for the presidency in Ramallah, announced in a statement.

Hamas also denounced the move saying it considers the bill a “part of the Zionist war and aggression against our people”, while the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) called it “an escalation in the genocide” against Palestinians.

Israel has alleged that some of UNRWA’s thousands of staff members participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. It also has claimed that hundreds of its staff had ties to the group and that the Israeli army has found Hamas assets near or under UNRWA facilities.

The agency denies that it knowingly aids armed groups and noted it acts quickly to purge any suspected fighters from its ranks.

The bills, which do not include provisions for alternative organisations to oversee its work, have been strongly criticised by international aid groups and a handful of Israel’s Western allies.

The United States announced it was “deeply concerned” about the bill.

“We have made quite clear to the government of Israel that we are deeply concerned by this,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters, reiterating the “critical” role the agency plays in distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expressed grave concern and said the Israeli legislation “risks making UNRWA’s essential work for Palestinians impossible”.

He described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “simply unacceptable” and said Israel must ensure sufficient aid reaches civilians in the enclave.

“Only UNRWA can deliver humanitarian aid at the scale and pace needed,” he added.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, wrote on X the ban “would de facto render UNRWA’s vital operations in Gaza impossible and seriously hamper its provision of services in the West Bank”.

He added that the legislation stands “in stark contradiction to international law and the fundamental principle of humanity”.

 

UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies have accused Israel of severely restricting aid flow into Gaza, where almost all of the enclave’s 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once since October last year. More than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health officials.

Israeli forces have continued to shut vital border crossings, including the Rafah crossing, banning the entry of humanitarian aid including food, medicine, and much-needed fuel from entering the bombarded territory. In Gaza’s north, a total siege for more than 20 days has left hospitals on the brink of collapse and some 400,000 people without access to basic necessities.

UNRWA itself has suffered heavy losses since last year, with at least 233 of its team members killed and two-thirds of the agency’s facilities in the blockaded territory damaged or destroyed since the war began.