UN: UNRWA operations will be disrupted as Knesset decision enters into force

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, expressed his hope that “the ceasefire will hold and that the enormous suffering in Gaza will ease,” stressing the main and vital role of the UN agency in providing aid and services and advancing Palestinian society, as the number of its employees in the Gaza Strip alone is 13,000 employees, including workers in education, health and others, and it has 300 buildings, which include schools.

The UN official's remarks came before the UN Security Council in New York during a meeting called by Algeria, which chairs the council this month, to discuss the status of the organization and Israeli legislation that prevents its work in the occupied Palestinian territories starting Thursday.

“Despite the importance of the organization and the enormous volume of services it provides, in two days our operations in the occupied Palestinian territories will be disrupted, as legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset comes into effect,” Lazzarini said. “What is at stake is the fate of millions of Palestinians, a ceasefire, and the prospects for a political solution that will bring lasting peace and security.”

The situation in Gaza and the role of the agency

Regarding the current situation in Gaza and the role of the UN, Lazzarini said, “The death toll is estimated at 46,000, and the real figure is estimated to be 40% higher. The study also confirms that most of the dead are women, children and the elderly. Those who survived the bombing, starvation and disease emerged from the rubble traumatized by the bombing. Now tens of thousands of people are returning to the devastated north, searching for the living and burying the dead. Throughout the Gaza Strip, Palestinians are turning to UNRWA, the agency they have known all their lives, for support.”

Lazzarini warned that “full implementation of the Knesset legislation would have disastrous consequences. In Gaza, undermining UNRWA’s operations would jeopardize the international humanitarian response, threaten the UN’s ability to provide services at a time when we should be significantly increasing humanitarian assistance, and worsen the living conditions of the Palestinians.” He stressed that the services provided by UNRWA are unique and cannot be replaced by any other agency, as Israel claims. He pointed out that the agency’s services, including education, health, and others, are similar to services provided by governments and can only be transferred to a functioning state.

He refuted Israeli claims that UNRWA plays a negligible role in providing humanitarian aid in Gaza, noting that the agency provides half of emergency services, while other agencies provide the remaining half. He added, “Since October 2023, we have provided two-thirds of all food aid, provided shelter for more than a million displaced people, and vaccinated a quarter of a million children against polio. Since the ceasefire began, UNRWA has brought in 60 percent of the food entering Gaza, reaching more than half a million people. We conduct approximately 17,000 medical consultations every day.”

He spoke about what the agency means to Palestinians, saying: “Palestinians know and trust UNRWA. For them, UNRWA is the doctors and nurses who provide health care; the relief workers who distribute food; and the mechanics and engineers who build and repair wells to provide clean drinking water. The very presence of the agency brings stability in the midst of profound uncertainty.”

West Bank and occupied Jerusalem

Lazzarini touched on the situation in the occupied West Bank and UNRWA’s operations there, saying: “At a time when violence is escalating, ending UNRWA’s operations would deprive Palestine refugees of education and health care. The Palestinian Authority has made clear that it does not have the financial resources or capacity to compensate for the loss of UNRWA services. In occupied East Jerusalem, the Government of Israel has ordered UNRWA to vacate its premises and cease operations by Thursday. This will affect approximately 70,000 patients and more than 1,000 students. The Deputy Mayor called for a public celebration of UNRWA’s eviction from East Jerusalem in front of our West Bank field office in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. Local authorities are planning to build illegal settlements on this land. The ongoing attack on UNRWA harms the lives and futures of Palestinians throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. It undermines their trust in the international community, and jeopardizes any prospect of peace and security.”

He stressed that "the Israeli legislation passed by the Knesset defies the decisions of this Council and the General Assembly. It ignores the rulings of the International Court of Justice. It ignores the fact that UNRWA is the mechanism established by the General Assembly to provide assistance to Palestine refugees, pending a political solution to the Palestine question."

Fierce Israeli campaign and millions in propaganda against UNRWA

“The implementation of Israeli legislation makes a mockery of international law and imposes enormous restrictions on UNRWA’s operations,” Lazzarini said. “However, we are determined to remain and provide services until this is no longer possible.” He stressed that “this is not without risks for our Palestinian colleagues, who face an exceptionally hostile operating environment, fueled in part by a vicious disinformation campaign.”

US Ambassador Dorothy Shea considered the Israeli decision to close "UNRWA offices in Jerusalem on January 30 a sovereign decision by Israel. The United States supports the implementation of this decision. UNRWA's exaggeration of the impact of these laws, and its suggestion that they will force the entire humanitarian response to stop, is irresponsible and dangerous. What we need is a careful discussion about how to ensure that there is no interruption in the provision of humanitarian assistance and essential services." She stressed her country's position of disarming the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, led by Hamas, stressing the need for "Hamas to have no role in governing Gaza." While attacking Iran, she saw the ceasefire as a historic opportunity for countries in the Middle East to "reshape their region in a way that allows their people a better path forward, as Israel fully integrates with its neighbors under the banner of the Abraham Accords."

It is noteworthy that the rest of the member states during the meeting expressed a position contrary to the Israeli position supported by the United States, including Western countries such as the United Kingdom and France, which stressed the vital role of UNRWA and the necessity of allowing it to provide its services without hindrance.

“Washington has supplied Israel with weapons used to kill peaceful civilians. Washington has also blocked the passage of any UN Security Council resolutions that would impede Israel’s implementation of its plans in Gaza. The United States is also blocking any attempts to formulate collective Security Council measures to defend UNRWA. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the fault in what is happening around the agency lies with the United States. We heard this from the US representative. It was very clear. We would like to add that according to the United States, Israel has the right to close UNRWA offices in Jerusalem. How does this conform to international law? The answer is that it does not. We call on our colleagues in Washington to come to their senses and exert the necessary pressure on West Jerusalem to avoid further suffering of Palestinian civilians,” Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said, commenting on the US position.

Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said: "I have informed the UN and the Security Council that the legislation relating to UNRWA's activities in Israel will enter into force in forty-eight hours. According to Israeli law, UNRWA must cease its activities and vacate all facilities and buildings it occupies in Jerusalem." He added: "The legislation prevents UNRWA from operating within Israeli sovereign territory, prevents any Israeli official from communicating with UNRWA, and prevents UNRWA from having any representative office or service within our territory."

New Arab