Parliament is expected to pass two bills on Monday that would shut down the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s operations in East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank within 90 days, despite a large international wave of opposition to such measures. Despite a pressure campaign.
A source in the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that the bill is expected to be passed.
The foreign ministers of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement expressing “grave concern” over the government shutdown, especially in light of the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip due to the war.
“It is vital that UNRWA and other United Nations organizations and agencies are able to fully deliver humanitarian aid and assistance to those who need it most and to carry out their mandate effectively,” they said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli officials last week about the importance of ensuring the continued operations of UNRWA, which has served Palestinian refugees in East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank since 1949.
In a letter to Israel in October, the Biden administration noted the importance of maintaining UNRWA’s operations, stating that unless Israel takes steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, military action against the IDF as directed under Memorandum 20. threatened to limit aid.
US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew is among a group of envoys including Germany, Italy, Australia and the UK who are meeting with Israeli politicians seeking to maintain UNRWA’s services.
Israel is concerned that the international community may seek retaliation by taking countermeasures at the United Nations. Possible political actions at the United Nations could include lobbying to strip the Jewish state of its right to vote in the General Assembly and disqualifying Israel from its mission to the United Nations.
UNRWA serves 5.9 million refugees in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The United Nations General Assembly authorizes the mandate to operate on an annual basis, and only the UNGA has the power to close the organization.
However, Israel has the power to prevent UNRWA from operating in territory under its sovereign or military control. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and right-wing politicians have long called for the United Nations to eliminate UNRWA. However, they have not taken control of the situation on the ground, using their government and legislative powers to shut down what is considered the main organization providing humanitarian services to Palestinians.
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Israel has long argued that the organization incites hostility against Israel and the Jewish people and helps ensure the permanent expansion of the Palestinian refugee population. Printed by October 7, 2023 Many security officials believed that UNRWA’s humanitarian service delivery provided an important element of regional stabilization.
Last year, since the Hamas-led invasion of Israel on October 7 and the IDF’s subsequent military operations against Hamas in Gaza, Israel and the Israel Defense Forces have criticized UNRWA as being too closely associated with Hamas and that it is unable to perform a neutral mission. I started to think that I couldn’t accomplish it. provider. To make matters worse, Israel accused a number of UNRWA officials of being involved in the October 7 seizure of prisoners and of Hamas terrorists being employed by the organization.
Approximately six bills have been introduced regarding the closure of UNWRA, but this has now been reduced to two by private members.
The two bills have been approved by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and are currently being prepared for second and final reading. Committee chairman MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud) said the bill had wide support from opposition parties and coalitions and could attract support from as many as 100 parliamentarians.
A party spokesperson said Sunday evening that the opposition Yesh Atid had not yet decided whether to support or abstain from the bill, but said it would not oppose the bill in any case.
At least three of the drafters of the bill, Boaz Bismuth (Likud), Yulia Malinovsky (Israel Beytenu), and Dan Illouz (Likud), told X on Sunday that the bill was indeed submitted on Monday. He wrote that he believed that the agreement would be passed.
The first bill stipulates that UNWRA will no longer “operate any institution, provide any services or carry out any activities, directly or indirectly” in Israel.
The second bill would require that the treaty between Israel and UNWRA, signed after the 1967 Six-Day War, expire within seven days after the bill passes a final vote in the plenary session of the National Assembly, and that Israeli government agencies and It stipulates that representatives must not contact UNWRA or the organization. That representation will begin three months after the bill’s passage. Criminal proceedings against UNWRA personnel for their involvement in terrorist acts continue. The Israeli National Security Council must report to the committee every six months on the implementation of the bill.
Edelstein told The Jerusalem Post that the first bill concerns only East Jerusalem, while the second, broader bill would revoke UNRWA’s invitation to operate in any territory under Israeli control and He said the authorities are prohibited from getting involved.
Edelstein said there are irreparable differences between Israel and the international community, adding: “This is a gap we cannot bridge.”
He said the international organization believed UNRWA was “indispensable” as a service provider and part of the “solution” for the Palestinian people.
“Our approach is that we need to enact legislation that effectively stops UNRWA operations in our region, because UNRWA operations are also part of the problem,” he said. Ta.
close one’s eyes to
It is said that until October 7th, everyone was “turning a blind eye” to this issue. It is “unreasonable” that one year after the October 7 attacks, the government has still not taken any action against UNRWA. Although the government has called on all other countries to suspend UNRWA’s operations, it has not taken any possible steps to shut down UNRWA.
“There is no question that UNRWA is part of Hamas’ control in Gaza,” he asserted. This is part of breeding a new generation of terrorists in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and we must end it. ”
He noted that there is currently broad consensus on UNRWA, both within the Opposition and the Coalition, estimating that around 100 MPs are likely to support the two bills.
He pointed out that if the bill is passed, there will be a three-month period before UNRWA must cease operations. That would give it time to find other options to serve the Palestinians.
However, a US embassy spokesperson suggested that Israel may be responsible for filling the gap.
“The pending bill would make UNRWA unable to operate and leave Israel with the responsibility of filling the vacuum. It would exacerbate the already existing humanitarian crisis and undermine the stability and security of Israel and the region.” a spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post.
“The involvement of UNRWA staff on October 7 was reprehensible and led the United States to suspend funding,” the spokesperson said.
“We have held those involved accountable and called for reforms to UNRWA to address serious concerns that UNRWA facilities and personnel are involved in terrorist activities,” the spokesperson said.
“At the same time, UNRWA is providing critical services including humanitarian assistance, medical benefits and hygiene in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Jordan,” the spokesperson explained.
UNRWA condemned the pending Knesset vote as “outrageous”.
“Such a move by a United Nations member state against an organization ordered by the United Nations General Assembly is unprecedented and dangerous. It is contrary to the United Nations Charter and violates the obligations of the State of Israel under international law,” UNRWA said. a spokesperson said.
“This is an act contrary to the multilateral system. It is part of an ongoing systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role in providing human development assistance and services to Palestinian refugees. “This is the latest step,” the spokesperson stressed.
Such a move would disrupt the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to 2 million people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with “serious implications for people’s lives,” the spokesperson said.
“Without UNRWA, the provision of food, shelter and medical care to most of Gaza’s population would be disrupted,” the spokesperson stressed. The UNRWA spokesperson added that social services for Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem would collapse.
The spokesperson said the bill would “set a significant precedent for other conflict situations where governments may wish to eliminate an inconvenient UN presence” and would harm humanitarian operations around the world.
