Tens of thousands of Palestinians have found shelter in UNRWA schools in Gaza. Israeli laws banning UNRWA activities came into force on Thursday Humanitarian aid
On Thursday, the Israeli Knesset passed laws banning the UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA). Their implementation will fundamentally change the agency’s work in the occupied Palestinian territory: Israeli authorities are now banned from cooperating with UNRWA, and the agency itself is banned from working in war-torn Gaza, as well as in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said this would change both Israel’s role as an occupying power and the work of the UN General Assembly-mandated agency that has been helping millions of Palestinian refugees since 1949.
Israel is responsible for issuing visas to international workers of humanitarian organizations such as UNRWA, which is headquartered in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli authorities have already shortened the visas of all UNRWA international staff, which Fowler said was “tantamount to eviction or persona non grata.”
As a result, UNRWA international staff have been forced to urgently relocate from East Jerusalem to the Jordanian capital, Amman. The agency’s local staff will remain in East Jerusalem, but they may be in danger: there were several attempts to set fire to the UNRWA compound during the Gaza war.
The Israeli parliament passed laws on UNRWA last October. Israel ordered the agency to vacate all premises in occupied East Jerusalem and cease operations there by January 30 this year. In a statement on its website X, UNRWA said it had not received any official clarification on how the laws would be implemented.
Will the agency be completely closed?
UNRWA’s mandate has remained unchanged for decades and the agency has no plans to cease operations, Jonathan Fowler reported. According to him, UNRWA plays a unique role in the Middle East, providing health and education services to Palestinian refugees – in accordance with a mandate approved by the UN General Assembly. The agency also helps Palestinians living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
“UNRWA remains committed to its mission,” Fowler said. “We will not stop. We will not bow to circumstances. But we recognize that the practical implications [of the Israeli decision] and the current uncertainty could have a significant negative impact on our operations.”
The backbone of aid in Gaza
Before the ceasefire, the war in Gaza had killed more than 47,000 Palestinians and 270 UNRWA staff. In the first three days of the ceasefire, the agency provided food to a million people in the Strip. In fact, UNRWA carries more than half of the humanitarian supplies to Gaza.
Israeli laws could suspend all UNRWA operations in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, affecting schools, health centers and other services, Fowler said.
International reaction
UNRWA management, member states and UN officials have been calling on Israel to stop pressuring UNRWA until the last minute. Fowler said there are concerns that the current situation could set a precedent for UN humanitarian operations around the world. Never before has a UN member state attempted to nullify a UN mandate.
“The multilateral system is not perfect, but it is a working system, and [the Israeli decision] would be a unilateral blow to multilateralism,” he said. “We must continue to try to convince the Israeli authorities to, if not completely repeal the laws, then at least freeze this decision. We have no backup plan.”