Israeli UNRWA ban risks violating multiple international laws – International Development Committee Chair
28 November 2024
The Chair of the International Development Committee has asked the Foreign Secretary how the Government will respond to Israel’s planned ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) which comes into effect on 28 January 2025.
“Israel’s effective legislative ban on UNRWA must not be allowed to be implemented,” Sarah Champion MP writes, in a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy. “A ban would not only risk contravening numerous laws and obligations but would lead to an immediate, potentially irreparable, degradation in the living conditions of Palestinians.”
UNRWA was established by the United Nations to support Palestinian refugees after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Its mandate to operate was recently extended until 30 June 2026.
But Israel’s Parliament – the Knesset –passed two laws in October effectively prohibiting contact between representatives of UNRWA and Israeli authorities. This followed allegations in early 2024 that 19 UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attacks on Israeli citizens.
In the letter, the Chair says the new laws likely present a breach of several international obligations, including the Charter of the United Nations and the Geneva Convention. It may also violate provisional rulings of the International Court of Justice on preventing genocide in Gaza.
The Chair asks what contingencies are in place if the legislation is implemented and what representations the Foreign Secretary has made to his Israeli counterparts on the impact of the laws.
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Image: House of Commons/Laurie Noble