Embrace statement in response to Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA
30th October 2024
On Monday the Israeli parliament voted to ban UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency) from operating in areas under Israel’s control. With a mandate from the UN General Assembly since 1949, UNRWA provides crucial services including education, healthcare, and social support to millions of refugees. Banning the agency is not only an affront to the values of multilateralism, but it also sets a dangerous precedent with global implications. UNRWA has an essential and irreplaceable role in supporting Palestinian refugees and there is no viable alternative to it.
The decision to ban UNRWA is a catastrophe for Palestinians, and for our partners who work with Palestinians, especially those in Gaza and the West Bank who depend on UNRWA for the provision of essential needs, including food, water, medical aid, education and protection. It will only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where millions of people are dependent on UNRWA for the provision of the humanitarian aid they need. Regionally, the decision will also have dire consequences for millions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, where essential humanitarian aid is crucial for both the refugees and the host communities. The decision also undermines the protection of the rights of Palestinian refugees, including the right to return.
On Friday, Embrace was one of 52 organisations that signed a statement demanding that world leaders use all diplomatic means to prevent this legislation from advancing. You can read the statement here.
Ruth Valerio, Embrace’s Director of Programmes, Partnerships and Advocacy, said this in response, “We are deeply disappointed that this legislation has passed and we again call on the international community to defend the mandate of UNRWA and commit to upholding the decision of the UN General Assembly Resolution on the ICJ Advisory Opinion.”
