Two Israeli Knesset laws take effect
Date
1/27/2025 6:24:36 AM
(MENAFN) Later this month, two Israeli Knesset laws that directly impact the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Palestinian territories will take effect, following their approval by a majority on October 28, 2024. These laws aim to halt UNRWA's operations in areas under Israeli control, particularly in Jerusalem. In response, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, informed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that UNRWA must cease all activities in the occupied city of Jerusalem and evacuate its facilities by January 30. One law bans any operations of the agency in "Zionist sovereign areas," including its offices and services, while the other prohibits any contact with the agency.
For UNRWA, the impact of these laws would significantly disrupt its operations, including halting coordination for the safe movement of Palestinian staff, obstructing international staff from obtaining visas, and damaging essential services like banking, salary payments, and remittance operations. The first law specifically targets occupied East Jerusalem, home to UNRWA's temporary headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah, an area that has recently been a site of violence and Israeli settlement expansion. In May 2024, UNRWA was forced to close its headquarters due to settler attacks, including arson. Later that month, the Israeli Land Authority demanded that the agency vacate the site, citing it as illegally built on seized land.
Further legal actions have led to the seizure of land in Sheikh Jarrah, with plans to convert the area into a settlement outpost. In January 2024, the Israeli Land Authority instructed UNRWA to vacate the premises and pay fines for unauthorized construction. The impact of these Knesset decisions will not only affect UNRWA’s headquarters but will also extend to its schools, clinics, and vital services for tens of thousands of refugees in Jerusalem. UNRWA serves over 110,000 refugees in the city, running schools, health centers, and social services in refugee camps like Shuafat and Qalandia.
Chris Ganis, former communications director for UNRWA, warned that these Israeli actions could pave the way for the formal annexation of East Jerusalem. UNRWA, however, has stated that it will continue to provide essential services for refugees until the implementation of the laws is finalized, despite the significant humanitarian consequences that these decisions will cause. UNRWA's services include education for over half a million Palestinian refugee children, healthcare for millions, social protection services, and emergency food aid, all of which could be severely disrupted by the new Israeli restrictions.
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