Kuwait Diplomat Condemns Israeli Occupation's UNRWA Ban As Breach Of UN

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) NEW YORK, Nov 15 (KUNA) -- Kuwait said that the Israeli Occupation parliament's (Knesset) ratification of a draft law classifying the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as a "terrorist organization" represented a blatant violation of the international organization and its agencies and charter.
This came in a speech by the Permanent Delegation of Kuwait to the UN, delivered by diplomatic Attachأ© Dhari Edhbayah on Thursday evening, during the meeting of the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly concerned with special Political issues and decolonization.
Edhbayah said the Israeli occupation forces violated international law, international humanitarian law, international legitimacy, and Security Council resolutions, including Resolution (2417), which strongly condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of combat in conflict situations.
He expressed Kuwait's strong condemnation and denunciation of the two pieces of legislation issued by the Knesset to ban UNRWA from operating in the occupied Palestinian territories, which will limit the agency's ability to provide support and humanitarian services to defenseless Palestinian refugees.
He also expressed Kuwait's condemnation of the occupation forces' targeting of humanitarian workers, which led to the killing of at least 243 UNRWA employees in more than a year, in addition to targeting and destroying UN buildings, which is a flagrant violation of Security Council Resolution 2286.
He called for providing the necessary protection for humanitarian workers, expressing his rejection of any attempts that would undermine UNRWA's work, change its tasks, or target its workers.
Edhbayah said that Kuwait appreciated UNRWA's efforts in providing humanitarian assistance and contributing to protecting refugees by providing them with basic services such as education and health care, including two polio vaccination campaigns.
He pointed out that Kuwait was honored to cooperate with Jordan and Slovenia, in addition to 120 member states of the United Nations, by signing the "Shared Commitments" document to support UNRWA.
He reaffirmed Kuwait's full commitment to its voluntary contributions to UNRWA since its establishment, and has been keen to respond to urgent appeals issued by the agency through many national institutions such as the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the Red Crescent Society, the Islamic Charitable Organization and the Patients' Helping Fund.
The Diplomatic Attachأ© concluded Kuwait's speech by emphasizing its support for the right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the borders of June 4, 1967, in accordance with the General Assembly Resolution No. 194 and the Arab Peace Initiative as a basis for establishing peace in the Middle East.
He also said that Kuwait appreciated Saudi Arabia's efforts to launch the "International Alliance to Implement the Two-State Solution" and the outcome of the joint extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit. (end)
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