28 July 2024: The UN has issued a stark warning regarding a series of bills recently passed in the Israeli parliament, Knesset, which target the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The UN asserts that these bills erode the foundations of international law.
During a briefing to the United Nations Security Council, UNRWA Deputy Commissioner General Antonia De Meo criticized the bills, stating, “These bills make a travesty of the multilateral responsibilities of Member States. They erode the very foundations of international law and multilateral norms. If these bills pass – which could happen as early as next week – the ramifications will be dire and immediate: They will put all UNRWA staff and the Agency’s General Assembly mandate in direct danger.”
De Meo highlighted the ongoing suffering in Gaza, pointing out that the United Nations Security Council has adopted multiple resolutions calling for an end to the Israeli onslaught in the region. Despite this, the crisis continues to escalate.
“In Gaza, the blatant disregard for international humanitarian law is now commonplace. Women, children, journalists, humanitarian workers – all continue to pay a tragically high price. UNRWA is no exception. 199 colleagues have now been killed, the vast majority with their families. Nearly two-thirds of the Agency’s premises – some 190 buildings – have been hit, some twice. Many of our schools are demolished and can no longer be used as schools. In the past two weeks alone, 8 UNRWA schools, all serving as shelters for displaced people, have been struck.
“Our headquarters offices in Gaza are destroyed beyond recognition. More than 560 displaced people, including many women and children, have been killed while sheltering under the UN flag. And just this week, two UN convoys heading north were shot at, despite coordination, deconfliction, and authorization from the Israeli Army,” De Meo reported.
She emphasized that no place is safe in Gaza, not even for humanitarian aid workers.
Earlier this week, on July 22nd, the Knesset approved the first reading of three draft legislative bills related to UNRWA. One bill seeks to ban UNRWA operations in occupied East Jerusalem, another aims to revoke UN privileges and immunities afforded to UNRWA since 1949, and the third designates UNRWA as a terrorist organization. These bills still need to pass through second and third readings to become law.
“If these bills pass – which could happen as early as next week – the ramifications will be dire and immediate: They will put all UNRWA staff and the Agency’s General Assembly mandate in direct danger. And while UNRWA will face the impacts today, make no mistake: the entire UN system around the world will feel the impacts tomorrow. We cannot afford this to become a new standard for future humanitarian operations in conflict zones across the world,” De Meo warned.
She concluded by stating that “UNRWA is targeted because of its role in safeguarding the rights of Palestine refugees, and because it embodies the international community’s commitment to a just and lasting political solution.”
