Palestine weighs bringing Israel’s UNRWA ban before UN Security Council

By Awad Rajoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian presidency said Tuesday that it plans to take diplomatic action in response to the Israeli Knesset's approval of laws banning the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from operating in Israel.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the presidency decided to urgently engage with countries hosting Palestinian refugees to explore the possibility of bringing the matter before the UN Security Council and the General Assembly.

The decision on UNRWA's presence is linked to resolving the Palestinian issue in accordance with international legitimacy, according to the presidency.

It held the Israeli government fully responsible for the serious repercussions of the decision.

It also emphasized that without a just solution to the Palestinian issue based on international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, “all ongoing aggressive and unacceptable Israeli practices will not bring security and stability but will instead escalate tensions in the region.”

The Israeli Knesset, or parliament, passed laws Monday banning UNRWA from conducting any activity or providing any service inside Israel, including the areas of occupied East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank. The legislation will take effect in 90 days.

Israel has accused UNRWA employees of complicity in the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas, alleging that the agency’s educational programs “promote terrorism and hatred.”

UNRWA, headquartered in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, denies the accusations and asserts that it remains neutral, solely focusing on supporting refugees.

The agency was established by a UN General Assembly resolution in 1949 with a mandate to provide assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees.

The Israeli army has continued a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since the cross-border incursion by Hamas last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 43,060 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 101,200 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio