The regulations approved by the Israeli parliament ban the UN agency from operating in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, and prevent it from communicating and coordinating with Israeli authorities, which could essentially end its work in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
In the letter, Guterres said the law could have “devastating consequences” for Palestinians.
“I appeal to you and to the government of Israel to prevent such devastating consequences and to allow UNRWA to continue carrying out its activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, in accordance with its obligations under international law,” Guterres wrote.
“Israel, as the occupying power, continues to be required to ensure that the needs of the population are met,” he added.
UN humanitarian office spokesperson Jens Laerke has also warned that Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA would represent a form of collective punishment for Gaza’s people if fully implemented.
“I think it is a fair description of what they have decided here, if implemented, that this would add to the acts of collective punishment that we have seen imposed on Gaza,” he stressed.
Collective punishment, which amounts to a war crime, is a term that refers to actions taken against a group in retaliation for acts by individual members of that group.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder also said Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA could result in the deaths of more children,
“If UNRWA are unable to operate, you would likely see the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza,” he stated at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
“So a decision such as this suddenly means that a new way has been found to kill children,” he added.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has also written to the president of the UN General Assembly calling for “decisive intervention” to help the UNRWA carry out its mandate in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Knesset’s laws forbidding Israeli officials from contact with UNRWA and banning the agency’s operations in Israeli-controlled territory risk the collapse of the UNRWA’s operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, posing “dire consequences for international peace and security”, he wrote.
“Today, even as we look into the faces of children in Gaza, some of whom we know will die tomorrow, the rules-based international order is crumbling in a repetition of the horrors that led to the establishment of the United Nations, and in violation of commitments to prevent their recurrence,” he said.
“The attacks on UNRWA are an integral part of this disintegration,” he added.
“Under such untenable conditions, I seek Member States’ support, commensurate with the gravity of the situation and risks, to ensure the Agency’s ability to fully implement the mandate conferred by the General Assembly,” he continued.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday Washington is “deeply troubled” by Israeli legislation banning UNRWA from operating and will “engage with the Government of Israel in the days ahead about how they plan to implement” the ban.
Miller reiterated that its implementation could result in “consequences under US law and US policy”.
“We’re going to watch and see if there are legal challenges to the law and if there’s any impact by those legal challenges, and then we will make our decisions after looking at all those factors,” he added.
Miller stressed that the legislation “poses risks for millions of Palestinians who rely on UNRWA,” specifically those in Gaza. He noted UNWRA undertakes a role that “cannot be filled by anyone else”.
