Arab League Asserts UNRWA’s Essential Role Amid Israeli Restrictions.
Cairo: The Arab League Council has called on the international community to continue providing the necessary political and financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to enable it to fulfill its vital role until the Palestinian refugee issue is resolved and an independent, sovereign Palestinian state is established based on the June 4, 1967 borders.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, this statement was made during an extraordinary session convened by the Arab League Council, held at the level of permanent representatives, chaired by Yemen at the request of Jordan, to discuss the Arab response to Israel’s ban on UNRWA activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.
The Council condemned, in the strongest terms, the Israeli Knesset’s enactment of unlawful legislation prohibiting UNRWA’s operations in the occupied territories, which also prevent its employees from receiving the diplomatic privileges and imm
unities granted to UN organizations operating in these areas.
The Council deemed these laws a blatant violation of international law and Israel’s obligations as the occupying power, labeling them as invalid and part of a systematic campaign against the agency aimed at politically undermining it and obscuring the Palestinian refugee issue.
Furthermore, the Council noted that these unlawful laws contradict the 1946 United Nations Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which guarantees the independence of UN agencies and their right to provide humanitarian assistance without obstruction. They also violate Security Council Resolution 2730, issued on May 24, 2024, which obliges Israel to respect and protect UN institutions.
The Council condemned Israel’s systematic targeting of UNRWA and its staff, which has resulted in the killing of at least 237 employees and the destruction of over 200 UNRWA buildings in Gaza. It also denounced the targeting of civilians seeking refuge in UN facil
ities, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties, describing these violations as war crimes and acts of genocide that warrant accountability for the perpetrators.
The Arab League praised the positions of friendly countries, civil society organizations, and NGOs that have issued statements rejecting the unlawful Israeli laws and reaffirming their support for UNRWA as the humanitarian arm of the UN in refugee areas.
The resolution called on Arab representatives in New York to coordinate with ambassadors and representatives of friendly countries and the UN Secretariat to request a special session of the General Assembly to discuss the implications of these dangerous laws and to adopt a UN resolution rejecting Israel’s unlawful unilateral actions, exposing its narrative aimed at demonizing UNRWA.
Additionally, the resolution urged Arab representatives in New York to coordinate with the permanent representative of Algeria (a non-permanent Arab member of the Security Council) to request an emergency session o
f the Security Council, demanding a resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter requiring Israel to retract its invalid laws and inviting the General Assembly to review the suspension of Israel’s participation as the occupying power in UN meetings, in accordance with Articles 5 and 6 of the UN Charter.