International aid agencies and Arab nations have slammed the Israeli Parliament’s passing on the first reading of three bills designating the United Nations agency serving Palestinian refugees as a “terrorist organization” — a move that will exacerbate the already dire conditions of humanitarian and other essential workers in Gaza.
According to the Knesset website, the Knesset Plenum voted to approve on first reading the bill for “Cutting Off the State of Israel's Relations with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and Declaring it a Terrorist Organization, 2024”.
The bill proposed that the State of Israel “sever its relations with UNRWA, both directly and indirectly”, and also strip off its personnel’s immunity and privileges.
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Another bill proposes to prohibit UNRWA from operating any mission, providing any service or conducting any activity within Israel's sovereign territory, accusing the agency of working in collaboration with Palestinian militant group Hamas for the “cruel massacre” that took place in Israel on Oct 7 last year.
The bills will be returned to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for deliberation as two more readings are required to become effective.
Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the West Bank and Gaza, said on her X account that Israel’s “disrespect and abuses against the UN” should have been addressed long ago. She added that it had “gone too far” and called for unseating Israel at the UN.
Jordanian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Sufyan Qudah, slammed the Israeli decision as an "attempt to kill the agency, assassinate it politically” and target its symbolism, which affirms the right of Palestinian refugees to return and compensation under international law.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine said the Israeli Knesset's classification of UNRWA as a “terrorist” organization is a “premeditated hostility that aims to dissolve the Palestine refugee issue and a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2730 (2024)”.
It affirmed its continuous political, diplomatic and legal efforts to ensure UNRWA’s mandate in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions. The ministry also described the latest development as part of a “systemic incitement campaign” carried out by Israel.
A case in point, highlighted by UNWRA personnel, was the targeting of a UN aid convoy by the Israeli Defense Forces.
Louise Wateridge, a UNRWA senior communications officer, wrote about the incident on her X account on July 22.
“Yesterday, the vehicle I was in got shot at and luckily, only because of where I sat, I was not harmed. It was a visibly marked UN vehicle on a coordinated route. Our safety should not be down to luck. Journalists, civilians and humanitarians are #NotATarget,” said Wateridge.
Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA, said on his X account, that the UN vehicle received “at least five bullets while waiting just ahead of the Israeli Forces’ checkpoint south of Wadi Gaza”.
Like all other similar UN movements, he said this one “was coordinated and approved by the Israeli authorities”, adding that those responsible “must be held accountable”.
In February this year, Israel forces said they had discovered a tunnel network hundreds of meters long and running partly under the UNRWA's Gaza headquarters. The Israelis said the network was new evidence of Hamas’ exploitation of the aid agency for Palestinians. Israel had also accused some UN staff of involvement in the Oct 7 attack.
The allegations prompted several countries to halt funding to UNRWA earlier this year. But a UN-backed independent review found that Israel had not provided credible evidence for its claims, and most donors, like Japan, Germany, Italy, Australia and Canada, have since reinstated funding.
On July 19, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told parliament that the government will resume funding to UNRWA, which he said was “absolutely central” to providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Arie Afriansyah, associate professor at the Faculty of Law at Universitas Indonesia, told China Daily that Israel’s policy to categorize UNRWA as a terrorist organization is “highly unusual in the context of international law”.
He said Israel’s policy could endanger UNRWA’s humanitarian workers. By labelling UNRWA a terrorist organization, Israel “could effectively legitimize actions against its workers, making them targets for arrest, harassment, or worse”.
“Despite Israel's sovereign authority to implement such a policy, labeling a globally well-established organization as a terrorist entity demonstrates the extent of Israel's desperation in defending itself,” said Afriansyah.
READ MORE: Envoy: Israeli attacks on UNRWA without proof unacceptable
“Further, with the latest advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which confirms the illegality of Israel’s occupation, the policy could lead to a significant loss of support from the international community, including key allies, who might view this move as a violation of international norms and humanitarian principles,” he added.
Prior to Hamas’ attack on Oct 7, Israel had already imposed a blockade on the besieged Gaza Strip since June 2007.
This was on the heels of a military takeover by Hamas in Gaza. According to the UN, the land, sea and air blockade had significantly exacerbated previous restrictions, limiting the number and specified categories of people and goods allowed in and out through the Israeli-controlled crossings.
Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com
