By Ibrahim Khazen
CAIRO (AA) – The Arab League convened an emergency meeting in Cairo on Thursday to discuss an Israeli ban on the activities of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Chaired by Yemen, the meeting is held at the level of permanent delegates upon a request from Jordan and supported by several Arab nations, Egypt’s state news agency MENA reported.
The meeting’s agenda focuses on formulating a unified Arab response to the “dangerous and illegal laws” passed by the Knesset (Israel’s parliament), which prohibit UNRWA's operations in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem.
On Tuesday, Jordan formally requested the pan-Arab bloc to hold an emergency meeting to discuss a collective response to the Knesset's legislation.
On Monday, the Knesset passed a bill banning UNRWA from operating, which would eventually affect its work in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The legislation will take effect in 90 days.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini called the Israeli ban “unprecedented and dangerous,” and in violation of the UN Charter.
Israel has accused UNRWA employees of complicity in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by 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, founded by a 1949 UN General Assembly resolution, provides aid and protection to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza.
The Israeli army has continued a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
More than 43,160 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 101,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the territory’s entire population 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 brutal war on Gaza.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio