US backs Israel’s decision to close UNRWA offices

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The US on January 28th backed Israel’s decision to shut down the UN agency for Palestinian refugees offices in occupied East Jerusalem, according to The National.

Israel notified the UN Security Council that it would sever all contact with the UN Relief and Works Agency within 48 hours and close all of the agency’s offices in areas it regards to be under Israeli control. Israel has also urged for UNRWA’s responsibilities to be given to different agencies.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini mentioned that there are consequences for dismantling the agency with regards to regional stability – whether this be through Knesset legislation or the suspension of donor funding.

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Dorothy Shea, US deputy representative to the UN, criticised the agency’s response. “UNRWA is exaggerating the effects of the laws and suggesting that they will force the entire humanitarian response to halt is irresponsible and dangerous,” she told the Security Council.

She dismissed the idea that UNRWA was indispensable. She said: “UNRWA is not and never has been the only option for providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza.”

Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA staff of ties to Hamas, who are responsible for the October 7th 2023 attack. However, these allegations were denounced by Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s UN envoy, who highlighted Israel’s long-standing hostility towards the organisation. Mansour said: “Israel has been attacking UNRWA long before October 7th and at that time it did not try to conceal its objectives…to erase rights that cannot be erased, that are inalienable.”

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Mansour also condemned Israel’s broader actions in Gaza and its treatment of the Palestinian people. “Israel, that destroyed Gaza and openly aims at getting rid of the Palestinian people, does not get to pick and choose who represents the Palestinian people or who represents the UN,” he told Security Council members.

He added: “It does not get to distort the law and the narrative. It does not get to claim some sort of exceptional status that allows it to commit crimes and enjoy impunity. The problem is not the rules but their breach.”

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UN chief Antonio Guterres strongly opposed the Israeli decision, urging its reversal. In a letter, he rejected Israel’s claim of sovereignty over East Jerusalem, where UNRWA has an office.

UNRWA was established in 1949 and has given vital services such as education and healthcare to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees in East Jerusalem and beyond.

The National

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