Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu orders immediate implementation of UNRWA law
Tel Aviv: The UNRWA bill was approved by the Knesset with widespread support, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered its immediate implementation on Tuesday. A relief and human development organization is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The Israel PMO shared a tweet on X that said, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the UNRWA law, which was passed by the Knesset with broad support, be enforced immediately.”
“There are no restrictions on the implementation of the prime minister’s directive,” the post said.
Notably, the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, approved two pieces of legislation earlier in October 2024 calling for the cessation of UNRWA’s activities on Israeli soil and forbidding Israeli officials from interacting with the organization in any way.
By January 30 of this year, Israel has ordered UNRWA to stop activities in occupied East Jerusalem and leave all of its buildings there. US President Donald Trump issued executive orders earlier this month to reduce UNRWA financing.
In the aftermath of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA was created by General Assembly resolution 302 (IV) shortly after the UN was founded itself. Its purpose was to offer “direct relief and works programs” to registered Palestinian refugees, who were defined as “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 war,” according to the UN.
The organization has been providing vital humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees in Israeli-controlled regions for decades, particularly in Occupied Palestinian Territory, which includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These consist of medical facilities, educational institutions, and centers for vocational training.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the crucial role that UNRWA plays in relief distribution after the measure was approved by the Israeli Parliament, noting that an actual prohibition would have “devastating consequences.” In contrast to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, who claimed that the bills would “increase the suffering of the Palestinians and are nothing less than collective punishment,” Joyce Msuya, the acting director of the UN assistance coordination office, described the move as “dangerous and outrageous.”
