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UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING. Why Israel voted to ban the UN agency for Palestinian refugees

The Israeli Parliament voted this Monday, October 28, in favor of banning the activities of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Israel. A measure whose humanitarian consequences in Gaza risk being dramatic and denounced by numerous international actors.

The Israeli Parliament voted this Monday, October 28, on a bill that prohibits the activities of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Israel, provoking international outrage.

· What is UNRWA?

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949, after the first Arab-Israeli war. At the time when the State of Israel had just been created, more than 700,000 Palestinians were landless, having been expelled or fleeing the fighting.

They and their descendants have refugee status. UNRWA’s mission is to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestinian refugees in its area of ​​operations “as they await a just and lasting solution to their situation.”

With 30,000 employees, UNRWA notably runs health centers and schools in Gaza and the West Bank, this Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967. By providing shelter, food and basic care, the agency is considered “the backbone” of aid to Loop. in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe.

In total, today around 5.9 million Palestinians are registered with this UN agency and 540,000 children study in its schools.

· What does Israel accuse UNRWA of?

Israel, which has long been highly critical of the agency, claimed earlier this year that 19 UNRWA employees participated in the massacre carried out on its soil by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The Israeli government also accuses UNRWA of being corrupted by Hamas. , and claims that 1,650 agency employees are members of the Palestinian Islamist movement.

Following these accusations, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, appointed an independent committee in charge of evaluating the “neutrality” of the agency. In April, this committee chaired by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna concluded that UNRWA had “persistent neutrality problems” and made recommendations to improve the functioning of this “irreplaceable” agency for aid to the Palestinians.

Then, last August, an internal UN investigation concluded that nine employees of its agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) “may have been involved” in the October 7 attacks.

Some of the largest donors suspended their contributions to UNRWA earlier this year following accusations from Israel. But most donors have since resumed their support, with the notable exception of the largest, the United States.

· What has Israel decided?

The Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, voted on Monday by an overwhelming majority (92 votes to 10) on a bill that prohibits “UNRWA activities on Israeli territory,” including East Jerusalem, a sector of the holy city occupied and annexed by Israel. since 1967. .

A second text, also widely adopted (89 to 7), prohibits Israeli officials from working with UNRWA and its employees, which should considerably disrupt the agency’s activities, while Israel strictly controls all humanitarian cargo entries into Gaza. Both laws will take effect 90 days after their adoption, according to the Knesset.

“The State of Israel has the right and duty, as a sovereign State committed to its survival, to fight threats, including those that exist in its heart,” reacted after the vote, deputy Yuli Edelstein, president of Foreign Affairs and Defense. . Committee.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, however, that Israel was “willing” to “work with (its) international partners” to continue “facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza in a way that does not threaten (its) security.”

· What are the reactions?

UNRWA denounced a “scandalous” measure against him, despite the fact that he is the main actor in humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip, besieged and devastated by more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas.

The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, denounced this ban, which “creates a dangerous precedent” and “will aggravate the suffering of the Palestinians.” “This will deprive more than 650,000 girls and boys of education, putting an entire generation of children at risk,” he states in his X account.

“If implemented, the laws passed today by the Israeli Knesset would likely prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the occupied Palestinian territories, with disastrous consequences for Palestinian refugees,” Antonio Guterres warned on the same social network, stating that ” does not exist.” there is no alternative to UNRWA.”

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also denounced an “intolerable” decision that will have “devastating consequences.” “It contravenes Israel’s obligations and responsibilities,” he added, stressing that “UNRWA is an irreplaceable lifeline for the Palestinian people.”

Even before the vote, the United States had declared itself “very concerned” and “urged the Government not to approve” this text, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, who reiterated the “crucial” role of humanitarian aid from UNRWA in Gaza.

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In Europe, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared himself “gravely concerned”, while Germany “harshly criticized” this decision. Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Spain, four countries that have recognized the State of Palestine, “condemned” this text in a joint statement, considering the work of UNRWA “essential and irreplaceable.”

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas denounced a “Zionist aggression”, while its ally Islamic Jihad condemned “an escalation of genocide” of the population. The Palestinian presidency considered, for its part, that the text confirmed “the transformation of Israel into a fascist state.”

Author: François Blanchard with AFP
Source: BFM TV

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