Israel bans UN agency, "catastrophe" for Palestinians

2024-10-31 15:20:08, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israel's decision to ban the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, will severely hamper the delivery of aid to war-torn Gaza, if implemented, experts warn.

Experts say this ban by Israel will have serious consequences for the more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, who are heavily dependent on humanitarian aid and the services of UNRWA, which is the country's largest aid provider.

"This is a severe blow to any humanitarian effort that tries to save lives in the Gaza Strip," said Anders Fange, a Swedish aid worker who managed UNRWA's work in the West Bank from 2003 to 2007. .

"No other agency or institute can replace UNRWA," he added.

Israel's devastating year-long war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of civilians, according to Palestinian officials, and destroyed much of the enclave's infrastructure. Many people have been left without shelter, food and medical care.

Israel has accused UNRWA of collaborating with Hamas, the Palestinian group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel in October 2023. This attack led to Israel's occupation of Gaza.

But experts say that Israel's decision is political and aims to remove refugee status from Palestinians in the Middle East.

Founded in 1949, UNRWA is one of the largest UN operations, with over 30,000 staff. This agency serves about 6 million Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

Since Israel occupied Gaza in October 2023, UNRWA has distributed food and provided medical assistance to most of the territory's residents. Hundreds of its schools have been turned into shelters for Palestinians displaced by the war.

Fange said that "Israel's goal in banning UNRWA now is to make life even more impossible for Palestinians in Gaza."

The international community has condemned Israel for attacking hospitals and schools, many of which are managed by UNRWA, and for killing hundreds of aid workers.

Israel has opposed UNRWA for years. But opposition to this agency has escalated after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, when about 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Since then, Israel has claimed that hundreds of UNRWA workers were members of "terrorist organizations." About 16 donor countries temporarily suspended funding for this agency.

In August, UNRWA dismissed nine staff over their possible involvement in the Hamas attack.

Khaled Elgindy, director of Palestine Affairs and Palestinian-Israeli Relations at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said that UNRWA has made every effort to show that it is "cooperative" and "fairly transparent".

Elgindy stressed that Israel's ban on UNRWA, if implemented, would be "beyond catastrophic" for the people of Gaza.

He said the real reason Israel is targeting UNRWA is that it represents a symbol of Palestinian refugees - something that "many Israelis consider an existential threat".

Under international law, Palestinian refugees and their descendants have the right to return to their homes in present-day Israel.

But Israel has refused to allow their return. Israel has said that Palestinian refugees must be assimilated by host countries and that UNRWA services keep alive Palestinian hopes of returning to their homes.

"Why does Israel want to destroy an institution that is providing vital services and for which there is no alternative in Gaza?" asked Elgindy. "The answer is related to the extreme nature of this Israeli government."

Many foreign governments and human rights organizations have condemned Israel's decision to ban UNRWA.

Norway has called on the UN General Assembly to request a decision from the International Court of Justice to determine whether Israel has violated international law by preventing the UN from providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians./ REL