Canaan Lidor and Amelie Botbol
JNS, Oct. 29, 2024
“In my opinion this move won’t be the end of UNRWA, but I would hope that responsible governments such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Germany take this as an opportunity to engage in significant investigations.”
Israel’s Knesset on Monday made it illegal for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to operate in Israeli territory, and for state officials to cooperate with the agency. The two laws were passed by a large majority following the exposure of UNRWA staff complicity in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, and despite pressure from the United States and other countries against the move.
The Biden Administration was “deeply concerned” about the legislation, according to an unnamed U.S. State Department official cited by Axios. This echoes language used by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prior to the vote. Josep Borrell, the E.U. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, tweeted that the new laws “would de facto render UNRWA’s vital operations in Gaza impossible, and seriously hamper its provision of services in the West Bank.” The laws stand “in stark contradiction to international law and the fundamental principle of humanity,” he added. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini tweeted that the legislation “opposes the U.N. Charter and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law.”
However, experts on UNRWA, including former Israeli lawmaker Einat Wilf, who has written an acclaimed book about the agency, dispute that the legislation contradicts international law. Israel is not party to any treaty compelling it to engage with the group or allow its activities, Wilf told JNS.… [To read the full article, click here]