Lawmakers in Israel have passed two laws on Monday, that could jeopardise the operations of the main United Nations providing aid in Gaza. These laws would bar the UN agency from operating on Israeli soil, severing ties with it and labelling it a terror organisation.
While the law doesn’t go into immediate effect, underscores a significant strain between Israel and the UN, prompting international allies to voice concerns about their potential impact on Palestinians as the humanitarian crisis escalates in Gaza, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The first law, says that the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, or United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), would be banned from conducting “any activity” or providing any service inside Israel. While the second law would cut Israel’s diplomatic ties with the agency.
The first vote passed 92-10 and followed a fiery debate between supporters of the law and its opponents, mostly members of Arab parliamentary parties. The second law was approved 87-9.
The new laws undermine the fragile aid distribution in Gaza, potentially when Israel is under increased US pressure to increase aid. UNRWA’s chief called them “a dangerous precedent.”
According to AP, Israel alleged that staff members of UNRWA participated in the Hamas attacks last year that sparked the war in Gaza. Israel further claimed that UNRWA staff have links to militants and that it has discovered Hamas military assets in or under the agency’s facilities.
The agency has previously fired nine employees following an investigation but denied it knowingly aided armed groups. It further said that it acts quickly if it suspects militants in the agency. Some of Israel’s allegations have led major international donors to cut funds toward the agency, however, some have been restored.
Israel has at times during the war raided or attacked UNRWA schools or other facilities, saying militants were operating there. UNRWA says that more than 200 of its employees have been killed during the war.
The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said the new laws were part of an “ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA.”
“These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza,” he said on the social platform X.
The vote by the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) against @UNRWA this evening is unprecedented and sets a dangerous precedent. It opposes the UN Charter and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law.
This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) October 28, 2024
