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    • Israel bans UNRWA, the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees
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    Israel bans UNRWA, the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees

    Harry Posted on

    The Israeli parliament voted on Monday to ban the United Nations’ activities against Palestinian refugees. Humanitarian aid organization operating in Gaza.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Accusations against UNRWA staff In the statement regarding the legislation, it was stated that there was involvement in terrorist activities in the region. An investigation by UN Office of Internal Oversight Services closed in AugustHe refuted some allegations and stated that others lacked sufficient evidence.

    However, the agency said if the evidence was “corroborated and supported” the nine employees may have been involved in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said their contracts would be terminated.

    Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Monday that UNRWA staff “must be held accountable.”

    “In the 90 days before and after this law comes into force, we stand ready to work with our international partners to ensure that Israel continues to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel’s security,” the statement said. in question.

    Biden administration He warned Israel in a letter two weeks ago that it might have to restrict military aid If humanitarian aid to Gaza is not increased within a month.

    Before Israel’s bill was passed, the State Department made clear to Israel that it had deep concerns about banning UNRWA, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a briefing Monday.

    “There is no one who can replace them right now in the middle of the crisis,” Miller said.

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared “persona non grata” It was also accepted by Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz. “There is no alternative to UNRWA,” he said social media platform.

    While Guterres called on the Israeli parliament to reverse course, he warned the country that it should not obstruct UNRWA under its obligations under the UN charter. “National legislation cannot change these obligations,” he said.

    Guterres said if Israel continues down the path of banning the agency, it would have “devastating consequences” for people in Gaza and the West Bank who depend on Israel for education, medical care and other needs.

    He said he would take the issue to the UN General Assembly.

    Lazzarini also condemned the parliamentary vote, writing about X that it violated the UN charter and “set a dangerous precedent”. He said the law amounted to collective punishment and put an entire generation of children at risk.

    “This is the latest in an ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role in providing human development assistance and services to #PalestinianRefugees,” he wrote.

    Netanyahu and many of his allies in the Israeli government have had a long-standing feud with UNRWA, and tensions have escalated further since last year.

    UNRWA is a UN relief agency established in 1949 to aid and protect Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Some Israeli critics have said the institution perpetuates a false narrative that Palestinians are refugees, as Lazzarini referenced in his statement.

    “Ending UNRWA and its services will not remove Palestinians from refugee status,” Lazzarini said. he said. “This status is protected by another UN General Assembly resolution until a just and lasting solution to the Palestinians’ plight is found.”

    Before the law was passed, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Australia expressed “serious concerns” in a statement.

    “It is crucial that UNRWA and other UN agencies and institutions are able to fully deliver their humanitarian assistance and assistance to those who need it most and to carry out their mandates effectively,” the statement said. The statement was included.

    Irish deputy prime minister Michael Martin condemns the ban joint statement With the governments of Norway, Slovenia and Spain.

    “The agency’s work, particularly in the context of Gaza, is vital and irreplaceable for the millions of Palestinian refugees in the region,” the letter said.

    Israeli MPs opposed this view. Boaz Bismuth, one of the drafters of the bill, said that the agency’s work had a “counterproductive” effect in the region.

    “If you really want stability, if you really want security, if you want real peace in the Middle East, organizations like UNRWA are not going to get you there,” Bismuth said.

    UNRWA is not the only target of recent anger, as Netanyahu has accused it of. The claim that the UN is an ‘anti-Semitic quagmire’ In his speech at the organization’s General Assembly in September.

    Soldiers have been accused of attacking Lebanon ever since the Israel Defense Forces launched a ground offensive there. Putting UN Interim Forces and peacekeepers in Lebanon at risk. Netanyahu denied the accusation and said publicly that Israel had warned peacekeepers to abandon their posts in southern Lebanon while the IDF was fighting Hezbollah militants.

    However, peacekeepers were tasked to remain on the Israel-Lebanon border and monitor hostilities under UN Resolution 1701, and they refused to leave their posts.

    Harry
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