UNRWA calls on UN Security Council to act on Knesset plan to designate it a ‘terrorist organization’

Jul 27. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Friday called on the UN Security Council to act to protect its mandate to operate in the Gaza Strip and other areas of the region until there is a peaceful solution, in the face of the Knesset’s plan to declare it a terrorist organization.

“If Israel passes laws that would ban UNRWA’s work, in addition to the catastrophic effect on Palestinians, it would set a dangerous precedent for future humanitarian operations in conflict zones,” warned UNRWA Commissioner General Antonia De Meo.

These statements come after the Israeli parliament approved on Monday in its first reading the declaration of UNRWA as a terrorist organization and the severing of all ties between the agency and the State of Israel, both direct and indirect.

At a meeting requested by Russia and Algeria to analyse the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, De Meo denounced that, if approved, the proposal would have “disastrous and immediate consequences: it would put all UNRWA staff in danger.”

Furthermore, he warned, “it erodes the foundations of international law and multilateral norms.” “We cannot allow this to become a new standard for future humanitarian operations in conflict zones around the world. (…) Together we must reject calls to dismantle the agency,” he stressed.

The Knesset plan adds to other “concerted efforts” by the Israeli government against UNRWA, such as denying entry permits to humanitarian personnel.

“Many UN officials, as well as NGO staff, have been denied visas to enter Israel. The UNRWA Commissioner-General’s visa expired more than a month ago and has not yet been renewed,” the agency representative explained, denouncing the “lengthy bureaucratic processes” faced by those employees who have received permits for “only” two or three months.

De Meo has defended the existence of UNRWA “because there is no Palestinian state that can provide public services in its place,” which explains why the organization is in the crosshairs of the Israeli authorities.

Finally, De Meo urged the Security Council to work towards a ceasefire in Gaza, the protection of UNRWA’s mandate and a peaceful solution to the conflict that has lasted more than 70 years.