The text was approved by 92 of the 120 members of the Knesset. The Israeli Parliament voted, Monday, October 28, by an overwhelming majority in favor of a bill banning the activities of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Israel, despite the objections of the United States and the 'UN. Israel has long been very critical of the UN agency and has accused certain UNRWA employees of participating in the October 7, 2023 attack.
This agency, created by the UN General Assembly in 1949, notably manages health centers and schools in Gaza and the West Bank, and is considered to be “the spine” of international aid to Gaza, in the grip of a humanitarian disaster. Some of the biggest donors suspended their contributions at the start of the year after Israel accused around twenty employees, among the agency's 13,000 in Gaza, of having participated in the Hamas attack. The Islamist movement denounced, Monday evening, the“Zionist aggression” against the Palestinians after the vote in the Israeli Parliament.
“It is scandalous that a UN member country would seek to dismantle a UN agency that is the main actor in humanitarian operations in Gaza”the UNRWA spokesperson reacted to AFP. “UNRWA is the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza and primarily responsible for the humanitarian response, including shelter, food and basic health care.”added Juliette Touma.
Banning UNRWA activities in Israel “creates a dangerous precedent”, the head of the UN agency declared shortly after on X. Philippe Lazzarini denounced the latest episode “of an ongoing campaign to discredit” the UN agency, the main actor in humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip.
He believes that his ban will “aggravate the suffering of the Palestinians” in the territory ravaged by more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas. The Palestinian Authority “rejects and condemns” also this vote. “We will not allow this,” affirmed the spokesperson for the presidency of the Authority.
For his part, after this vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he “ready” to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. “Sustained humanitarian assistance must be available to Gaza now and in the future… We stand ready to work with our international partners to ensure that Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian assistance to Gaza in a timely manner. way that does not threaten Israel's security”, said Benjamin Netanyahu on X.
Even before the vote, the United States had declared itself “very concerned” by the text. In London, the head of British diplomacy David Lammy expressed his “deep regret” about the bill. This decision makes “UNRWA's work in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem is effectively impossible (…) endangering vital humanitarian aid for millions of people”criticized the German Foreign Ministry.
