Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    World
    Home / World / Middle East

    Israel's ban on UNRWA sparks outcry

    By JAN YUMUL in Hong Kong | China Daily | Updated: 2024-10-30 06:56
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    Children look on inside the UNRWA Siblin Training Centre, where displaced Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians are being hosted, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, near Sidon, Lebanon, October 29, 2024. [Photo/Agencies]

    The international community has decried Israel's ban on the United Nations' Palestinian aid agency from operating within Israel and Palestinian areas under Israeli control.

    Considered a lifeline for Palestinians, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, which was founded in 1949, has seen its future thrown into jeopardy following the "unprecedented" passing of a law by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Monday, with observers saying the sanction could have far-reaching humanitarian, legal and political implications and set a dangerous precedent.

    Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, said preventing UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the occupied Palestinian territory would have "devastating consequences for the Palestinian refugees", and called on Israel to act consistently with its obligations under the Charter of the UN and international law.

    "National legislation cannot alter those obligations. ... There is no alternative to UNRWA," said Guterres.

    Palestinian Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh rejected and condemned the new Israeli legislation, which he said "aims to liquidate the issue of refugees and their right to return and compensation" and that "we will not allow it".

    UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "gravely concerned", and the law risks making UNRWA's "essential work for Palestinians impossible, jeopardizing the entire international humanitarian response in Gaza".

    Several countries including Australia, Jordan, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Spain also condemned the Israeli legislation.

    Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA, said in a post on social media platform X that the Knesset's vote was the "latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role towards providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine Refugees".

    Common mechanism

    "Failing to push back these bills will weaken our common multilateral mechanism established after World War II. This should be a concern to all," he added.

    Walaa Sabah, director of operations at We Are Not Numbers in Gaza, a youth-led Palestinian nonprofit, told China Daily the Israeli parliament's move delivers a clear message denying the right of return for Palestinians with refugee status, directly violating the UN charter and international law.

    "The UN stands as the primary advocate for refugee rights in Gaza. Without its support, Palestinians in Gaza would lose all humanitarian aid, effectively placing their lives under Israeli government control, and enabling a more systematic and complete erasure of Palestinian identity," said Sabah.

    Arie Afriansyah, associate professor at the Faculty of Law at Universitas Indonesia, told China Daily such a policy "will only make clearer" how desperate Israel is to "blame any party".

    Israel's justification for the legislation cited past UNRWA staff members for their alleged involvement in the Hamas-led Oct 7 attacks against Israel last year, which killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages.

    On the battlefield, an Israeli strike on a five-story building where displaced Palestinians were sheltering in the northern Gaza Strip killed at least 60 people early on Tuesday, more than half of them women and children, Gaza's Health Ministry said. Israel's operation has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to the ministry.

    In a separate development, Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah said it has chosen Naim Qassem to succeed longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month. Hezbollah vowed to continue with Nasrallah's policies "until victory is achieved".

    Agencies contributed to this story.

    Most Viewed in 24 Hours
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    无码精品蜜桃一区二区三区WW| 久久精品中文騷妇女内射| 日韩欧群交P片内射中文| 亚洲精品无码mv在线观看网站| 无码专区中文字幕无码| AV大片在线无码永久免费| 合区精品久久久中文字幕一区| 一本色道无码道DVD在线观看| 亚洲?V无码成人精品区日韩| 亚洲国产AV无码专区亚洲AV| 一本大道香蕉中文在线高清 | 欧洲人妻丰满av无码久久不卡| 暖暖免费中文在线日本| 高清无码中文字幕在线观看视频| 人妻丰满熟妇岳AV无码区HD| 成人无码AV一区二区| 中文字幕天天躁日日躁狠狠躁免费| 精品国产毛片一区二区无码| 久久久无码一区二区三区| 久久久久精品国产亚洲AV无码| 一区二区中文字幕| 亚洲欧美日韩中文久久| 亚洲AV无码AV男人的天堂不卡| 国产做无码视频在线观看浪潮| 亚洲AV综合色区无码另类小说 | 亚洲中文字幕无码爆乳AV| 最近中文字幕mv免费高清在线 | 中文字幕亚洲欧美日韩在线不卡| 久久亚洲AV无码西西人体| 国产成人无码一区二区在线播放| 无码日韩精品一区二区三区免费| 日韩va中文字幕无码电影| 亚洲JIZZJIZZ中国少妇中文 | 中文字幕在线观看有码| 无码av中文一二三区| 亚洲AⅤ无码一区二区三区在线 | 午夜成人无码福利免费视频| 18禁无遮拦无码国产在线播放| 国产成人无码精品一区二区三区 | 亚洲AV无码乱码在线观看裸奔| 亚洲一区AV无码少妇电影☆|