UN: Israeli Knesset’s bills targeting UNRWA “erode the very foundations of international law”

De Meo added that suffering “continues to mount” in the Gaza Strip despite that the UNSC has adopted several resolutions calling for ending the Israeli onslaught on the Strip.
She reiterated that “delivering humanitarian aid remains an impossible task amidst military operations, insecurity, lawlessness, damaged and destroyed infrastructure, fuel shortages, and access and telecommunications restrictions.”
“As I speak today, many UN staff, as well as staff of NGOs, have been refused visas to enter Israel. The visa of the UNRWA Commissioner-General expired more than a month ago and has not yet been renewed. And for UN staff who have been granted visas, most are only two or three months long, requiring repeated and lengthy bureaucratic processes,” she added.
“In Gaza, the blatant disregard for international humanitarian law is now commonplace. Women, children, journalists, humanitarian workers – all continue to pay a tragically high price. UNRWA is no exception. 199 colleagues have now been killed, the vast majority with their families. Nearly two-thirds of the Agency’s premises – some 190 buildings – have been hit, some twice. Many of our schools are demolished and can no longer be used as schools. In the past two weeks alone, 8 UNRWA schools, all serving as shelters for displaced people, have been struck. Our headquarters offices in Gaza are destroyed beyond recognition. More than 560 displaced people, including many women and children, have been killed while sheltering under the UN flag. And just this week, two UN convoys heading north were shot at, despite coordination, deconfliction, and authorization from the Israeli Army,” she added.
She stressed that “No place is safe in Gaza. No one is safe, including humanitarian aid workers.”
Commenting on Israel’s concerted efforts to dismantle the UNRWA, she said that such efforts “continue unabated”.
“As I speak today, many UN staff, as well as staff of NGOs, have been refused visas to enter Israel. The visa of the UNRWA Commissioner-General expired more than a month ago and has not yet been renewed. And for UN staff who have been granted visas, most are only two or three months long, requiring repeated and lengthy bureaucratic processes,” she explained.
“Misinformation and disinformation about UNRWA is spreading on social media, at times crossing the line of incitement to violence. This puts all our colleagues at serious risk, especially in the occupied Palestinian territory,” she added.
She pointed out that earlier this week, on July 22nd, Israel’s parliament approved in first reading three draft legislative bills related to UNRWA: one seeking to ban UNRWA operations in occupied East Jerusalem; a second seeking to revoke UN privileges and immunities afforded to UNRWA since 1949; and a third designating UNRWA a terrorist organization. To become law, these draft bills must still pass through second and third readings by the Knesset.
“If these bills pass – which could happen as early as next week – the ramifications will be dire and immediate: They will put all UNRWA staff and the Agency’s General Assembly mandate in direct danger. And while UNRWA will face the impacts today, make no mistake: the entire UN system around the world will feel the impacts tomorrow. We cannot afford this to become a new standard for future humanitarian operations in conflict zones across the world,” she cautioned.
She added that “UNRWA is targeted because of its role in safeguarding the rights of Palestine Refugees, and because it embodies the international community’s commitment to a just and lasting political solution.”