The United Nations Security Council warned Israel not to shut down its Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which services Palestinians in east Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.
The UNSC “strongly warned against any attempts to dismantle or diminish UNRWA’s operations and mandate,” the 15-member body said in a strong worded statement it issued Wednesday.
It stressed that “any interruption or suspension of its work would have severe humanitarian consequences for millions of Palestinian refugees who depend on the Agency’s services and also implications for the region.”
It spoke up after the Knesset approved two bills that would effectively shutter the organization which has serviced Palestinian refugees since 1949. It provides education, health care, and food supplies to 5.9 million refugees in those three regions under Israel’s control and in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
The organization operates under a mandate from the United Nations General Assembly and only that 193-member body can end the organization’s operations.
Israel, however, has the power to prevent UNRWA from operating within its sovereign territory or within territory controlled by the IDF. The Knesset legislation unless appealed gives UNRWA 90 days to cease its operations.
The UNSC urged Israel to abide by its international obligations and “facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in all its forms into and throughout the entire Gaza strip, including the provision of sorely needed basic services to the civilian population.”
A service provider for Palestinians
The international community has long held that UNRWA is the best service provider for Palestinians, particularly in light of the Gaza war.
Israel has argued that the war has shown that other organizations are better service providers and revealed the extent to which Hamas has infiltrated the organization. Israel has charged that the two groups are heavily intertwined and accused UNRWA of employing Hamas members some of whom helped kidnap hostages on October 7.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on X that “UNRWA employees were involved in the horrific 7 October massacre. Many of UNRWA’s workers are Hamas operatives.”
It said that Israel remained committed to international law and “ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, through international organizations that are free of terrorist activity, such as the World Food Program and UNICEF.Already “most of the humanitarian aid to Gaza is being handled by other UN agencies and international organizations.”
“UNRWA is part of the problem and not part of the solution,” he said.
“Anyone who cares about the welfare of people in the region, in Israel and Gaza Strip alike, must act to replace the activities of UNRWA in Gaza with other agencies.”
