The United Nations emphasized on Tuesday that if Israel implements new laws cutting ties with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the Israeli government will have to meet the needs of the population according to international law. Secretary-General António Guterres stated in a letter obtained by The Associated Press that there is no alternative to the agency known as UNRWA.
He pointed out that a letter from the Israeli government last week, which raised specific undisclosed issues, was being reviewed 'very seriously.' The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, Matthew Miller, went further and warned that the Israeli legislation 'poses risks to millions of Palestinians who rely on UNRWA for essential services.' Miller reiterated that the United States opposes the legislation and will discuss it with Israel in the coming days.
He also accused hundreds of UNRWA employees of having links to militias and said that he has found military assets belonging to Hamas in or under the agency's facilities. Two laws passed on Monday could prevent UNRWA from continuing its work. He indicated that their enforcement could have consequences under U.S. law and policy, referring to a letter sent by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to their Israeli counterparts stating that humanitarian aid must increase or the country risks losing military assistance.
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, responded to the letter stating that 'instead of condemning UNRWA for turning a blind eye to terrorism and in some cases participating in terrorism, the UN condemns Israel.' He claimed in a statement that UNRWA is not interested in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, labeling it as 'nothing more than an arm of Hamas operating under the guise of the United Nations.'
For his part, the spokesperson for the World Health Organization, Tarik Jasarevic, mentioned that UNRWA health workers have provided over 6 million medical consultations in the past year. Even the United States, Israel's closest ally, joined many governments and humanitarian organizations in opposing the measures, which will come into effect in three months.
UNRWA was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949 to provide relief to Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that followed the creation of Israel, as well as to their descendants. Norway announced on Tuesday that it will ask the 193-nation General Assembly to request a ruling from the highest UN court on whether Israel is obligated to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians by international organizations, including the UN. The International Court of Justice condemned Israel's control over Palestinian territories in July, declaring its occupation illegal.
