Israel must step in if it bans the UN agency that is a lifeline for Gaza, UN says

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations emphasized on Tuesday that if Israel introduces new measures laws cutting ties with the UN agency for Palestinian refugeesthe Israeli government will have to meet their needs under international law.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a letter obtained by The Associated Press that there is no other alternative to the organization known as UNRWA. It was a lifeline during the Israel-Hamas war in GazaAnd Israeli law “will have devastating consequences for Palestinian refugees” in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, he said.

The UN agencies on children, health and migration also stressed that UNRWA is the “backbone” of the world body’s operations in Gaza, where people have relied on emergency food aid and health centers during the more than year-long war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left much of the enclave in ruins.

The United Nations is encouraged by expressions of support for UNRWA from all corners and countries, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, and “we would greatly appreciate the efforts of any Member State to help us overcome this hurdle.”

Israel has claimed that some of the 13,000 UNRWA staff in Gaza participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that sparked the war. It has also accused hundreds of UNRWA employees of militant links and said it has found Hamas military assets in or under the agency’s facilities.

Two laws passed on Monday could prevent UNRWA from continuing its work. Even the US, Israel’s closest ally, has joined many governments and humanitarian organizations oppose the legislationwhich will not come into force for another three months.

Guterres sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday outlining his concerns.

As an occupying power, under international humanitarian lawAccording to Guterres, Israel must ensure that the needs of Palestinians are met, including in the areas of food, health care and education. And if Israel is not in a position to meet these needs, it has a duty to allow and facilitate the activities of the UN, and “UNRWA is the primary means through which assistance is delivered to Palestinian refugees,” he said.

If UNRWA’s activities are limited or halted, the Secretary General said, Israel should fill the vacuum “to ensure that the needs of the population are met.”

“Otherwise it would be contrary to international law,” said Dujarric, the UN spokesman.

Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon responded to the letter by saying: “Rather than condemning UNRWA for turning a blind eye to terrorism and in some cases participating in terrorism, the UN instead condemns Israel.”

He claimed in a statement that UNRWA is not interested in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, calling it “nothing but an arm of Hamas operating under the guise of the United Nations.”

“Israel will continue to facilitate humanitarian assistance in Gaza under international law,” Danon said, “but UNRWA has failed in its mandate and is no longer the right agency for this task.”

World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said UNRWA health workers provided more than 6 million medical consultations last year. They also offered vaccinations, disease surveillance and screening for malnutrition, and UNRWA’s work “couldn’t be matched by any agency – including the WHO”, he said.

Jeremy Laurence, spokesman for the UN human rights office, said that “without UNRWA, the delivery of food, shelter, health care and education, among other things, to most of Gaza’s population would come to a standstill.”

UNRWA was established in 1949 by the UN General Assembly to provide assistance to Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War that followed the creation of Israel, as well as to their descendants.

Timed under Israeli laws, Norway announced Tuesday that it will ask the 193-nation General Assembly for a ruling from the United Nations’ highest court on whether Israel is obliged to block the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians by international organizations , including the UN.

The International Court of Justice in July condemned Israeli rule over the Palestinian territoriesdeclaring its occupation unlawful. The non-binding opinion called on Israel to end its occupation and immediately halt settlement construction.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told the AP that Israeli policies are making it increasingly difficult for Palestinians to access life-saving aid. He said Norway will argue that even if the Israeli occupation is illegal, the country has obligations, “and we believe these are not being met.”

Guterres told Netanyahu that while Israeli laws prohibit any UNRWA activity “within the sovereign territory of the State of Israel,” the UN considers Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem to be part of the occupied Palestinian territory and that Israel has no sovereignty because of his country. occupation.

Meanwhile, speakers at the regular UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East – open to all UN members this month – supported UNRWA and almost all called for immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed deep concern about the Israeli legislation, saying: “At this time, there is no alternative to UNRWA when it comes to delivering food and other life-saving assistance in Gaza.”

She also called on Guterres “to create a mechanism to review and address allegations that UNRWA personnel are linked to Hamas and other terrorist groups.”

Dujarric, the UN spokesman, said the internal watchdog is working on that. He said a letter from the Israeli government last week raising specific classified issues was also being viewed “extremely seriously.”

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller went further, warning that Israeli legislation “poses risks for millions of Palestinians who rely on UNRWA for essential services.”

Miller reiterated that the US opposes the legislation and will discuss it with Israel in the coming days. He says there could be consequences for U.S. law and policy if they go into effect, citing a letter that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent to their Israeli counterparts saying the humanitarian aid must be increased or increased. the country risks losing military aid.

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Keaten reported from Geneva. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed from Washington.

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