What Does The Israeli Parliament's Ban On UNRWA Mean?
Date
11/21/2024 4:15:44 AM
(MENAFN- Swissinfo)
The Israeli parliament's historic decision will prevent the UN agency for Palestinian refugees from delivering aid in Gaza, the West bank and East Jerusalem. It has been met with strong reactions and is raising many questions. Here are some answers.
This content was published on
November 21, 2024 - 09:00
9 minutes
Dorian covers the work of international organisations based in Geneva.
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On Monday October 28, a large majority of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) – 92 votes in favour, 10 against – approved two laws banning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from operating in Israel and prohibiting Israeli officials from communicating with the organisation, effectively blocking its work in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. This legislation is due to come into force within three months.
Much of the international community, including Switzerland, humanitarian organisations, and the United Nations (UN) have denounced the decision, pointing to the agency's key role in delivering aid to Palestinian refugees, particularly in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Why has Israel banned UNRWA?
Historically opposed to UNRWA, Israel argues that the humanitarian organisation, which was created in 1949 and continues to support the descendants of Palestinians displaced by the 1948 war, perpetuates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by allowing refugee status to be passed from one generation to the next.
Since the beginning of the year, the Israeli government has accused UNRWA of being infiltrated by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, accusing several of the agency's employees of taking part in the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. These allegations were mentioned by the lawmakers who drafted the legislation.
An internal investigationExternal link by the UN has led to the dismissal of nine staff members because of their possible involvement in these attacks. Another external investigation found no major flaws in the organisation's neutrality.
+ Listen to our Inside Geneva podcast on the allegations against UNRWA:
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