<\/p>\n
28 January 2025<\/p>\n
9852nd Meeting (AM)<\/p>\n
The implementation of Israel\u2019s legislation on 30 January \u2014 curtailing the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA) \u2014 will undermine the ceasefire and sabotage Gaza\u2019s recovery and political transition, a senior Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ official told the Security Council today.<\/p>\n
Expressing hope that the long-awaited ceasefire \u2014 which began nine days ago \u2014 \u201cwill hold and then the tremendous suffering in Gaza will subside\u201d, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, welcomed the return of Israeli hostages and imprisoned Palestinians to their families. He also recognized the marked improvement in the flow of humanitarian aid and operating conditions. As the largest Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ presence in Gaza \u2014 with 13,000 personnel and 300 premises \u2014 the Agency is critical in supporting a shattered population under a ceasefire, he emphasized.<\/p>\n
Yet, in two days, \u201cour operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will be crippled as legislation passed by Israel takes effect\u201d, he warned, adding that the fate of millions of Palestinians is at stake. \u201cIn the wake of the ceasefire, we must contend with the devastation of the last 15 months and the enormity of the challenges ahead,\u201d he said, pointing to a peer-reviewed study of death by traumatic injury in Gaza, which reveals that the mortality figure provided by the Ministry of Health is \u201ca minimum estimate\u201d. In fact, 46,000 deaths is likely an undercount by over 40 per cent, with the majority of those killed being women, children and the elderly. The study also confirms that those who escaped death by bombardment, starvation and disease have emerged shell-shocked.<\/p>\n
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s Community Acceptance Not Quantifiable But Critical<\/strong><\/p>\n Tens of thousands of people are now returning to the decimated north \u201cto search for the living and to bury the dead\u201d, he said, noting Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s unique mandate to provide public-like services to an entire population. He rejected Israel\u2019s claim that the Agency plays \u201ca negligible role\u201d in providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza and that its services can be transferred to other entities. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA constitutes half the emergency response, having delivered two thirds of all food assistance, provided shelter to over a million displaced persons and vaccinated a quarter of a million children against polio since October 2023. Less quantifiable, but critical for the humanitarian response and the ceasefire, is community acceptance: \u201cPalestinians know and trust Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Israel\u2019s Government is investing significant resources to portray the Agency as a terrorist organization and its staff as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers. Billboards and ads accusing Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA of terrorism recently appeared in major cities worldwide. The political attacks on the Agency are motivated by the desire to strip Palestinians of their refugee status and erase their history and identity. Underscoring the need to allow the Agency to progressively conclude its mandate within the framework of a political process, he stated: \u201cWe are determined to stay and deliver until it is no longer possible to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n Clearing Rubble Could Take 21 Years, Cost $1.2 Billion<\/strong><\/p>\n Jan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, recalled his visit to Gaza City in December 2024 and expressed shock at the destruction: clearing over 50 million tons of rubble in the aftermath of Israel\u2019s bombardment \u201ccould take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion\u201d. For two decades, children will have nowhere to play in the rubble and debris caused by this war, having to fear unexploded bombs. \u201cThe principles of proportionality, distinction and military necessity have been thoroughly violated,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n While his organization managed to have 18 trucks of humanitarian cargo enter Gaza last week, looting and attacks on aid convoys remain a major concern. He recalled that, on 12 September 2024, the Israeli National Security Council admitted to the Knesset that Israel was no longer issuing visas to employees of international non-governmental organizations \u2014 apparently part of a broader effort to undermine humanitarian work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. However, as the occupying Power, Israel is legally obliged to facilitate humanitarian operations \u2014 in Gaza and in the West Bank alike.<\/p>\n Addressing the urgent humanitarian need, he called for full unrestricted access to northern Gaza, including the immediate opening of the Netzarim Corridor to facilitate the movement of civilians, humanitarian personnel and life-saving supplies. He further voiced alarm over intensified Israeli military operations and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank, urging the Council to \u201cput all of our energies into achieving a peaceful resolution to the question of Palestine\u201d.<\/p>\n In the ensuing discussion, speakers highlighted Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s essential role under the ceasefire as efforts continue to address the immense needs of the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n Halting Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Operations \u2018Death Sentence\u2019 for Palestinians<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFor generations of Palestinians, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is not just an Agency, it is life itself,\u201d said Algeria\u2019s delegate, Council President for the month, speaking in his national capacity. \u201cHalting Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s operations would be a death sentence for Palestinians,\u201d particularly for the most vulnerable among them \u2014 the refugees, he said, stressing that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA must continue its mandate until the establishment of the Palestinian State.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no alternative to the Agency \u2014 not in spirit and not in practice,\u201d stated Slovenia\u2019s delegate, rejecting attempts to dismantle it. Somalia\u2019s representative concurred that measures to restrict Agency operations \u201ccannot be seen as anything other than a deliberate attempt to exacerbate the suffering of an already vulnerable population\u201d.<\/p>\n Without Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, said Denmark\u2019s delegate, civilians in Gaza risk losing \u201ca vital safety net\u201d, and Palestine\u2019s refugees in the West Bank risk losing their access to essential services. Without Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, echoed Sierra Leone\u2019s representative, \u201cthe humanitarian response would risk collapse\u201d.<\/p>\n Calling for a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza, Pakistan\u2019s delegate added: \u201cWe must resist steps designed to extinguish the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood; we should instead take steps to make the two-State solution inevitable\u201d.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, stressed China\u2019s representative, \u201cbefore the two-State solution becomes a reality, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is indispensable\u201d, citing its absence from Gaza\u2019s post-conflict reconstruction formula as \u201cunthinkable\u201d. While Panama\u2019s delegate called for the Agency\u2019s sustained financing, the representative of France declared that Paris has allocated $20 million to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.<\/p>\n While stressing that the implementation of Knesset legislation on Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA risks threatening the fragile gains made through the ceasefire deal, the United Kingdom\u2019s delegate called on the Agency to continue to deliver their commitment to neutrality and fully investigate any allegations against their employees.<\/p>\n Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA \u2018Not the Only Option\u2019 for Providing Aid<\/strong><\/p>\n The United States\u2019 supported Israel\u2019s sovereign decision to close Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s offices in Jerusalem on 30 January, as the Agency \u201cis not and never has been the only option for providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza\u201d \u2014 with its work \u201ctainted\u201d due to terrorist ties to Hamas. Urging the international community to scale up humanitarian aid, she called for Gaza to be fully demilitarized, with Hamas having no role in its governance. The ceasefire provides the countries of the Middle East with \u201ca historic opportunity to reshape their region\u201d where Israel is fully integrated with its neighbours under the banner of the Abraham Accords.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Russian Federation\u2019s representative underscored that Israel would not dare to violate international law without unconditional financial and military support from Washington, D.C. \u201cIt is not an exaggeration to say that the fault for what is happening with the Agency falls on the United States\u2019 shoulders.\u201d Voicing support for Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, he said the Russian Peace Foundation nominated the Agency for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n The representative of Egypt, speaking for the Arab Group, pointed out that Israel\u2019s allegations cannot serve as grounds for adopting a unilateral decision preventing a Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agency from conducting its operations. Echoing that, Jordan\u2019s delegate stated that allowing any State to undermine the immunities of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agencies constitutes a dangerous precedent.<\/p>\n Relatedly, Greece\u2019s delegate called on Israel to reconsider the implementation of the legislation as it will obstruct Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s capacity to operate within its mandate in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. His counterpart from the Republic of Korea urged Israel to guarantee the conditions for Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ staff to continue their work, including issuing proper visas for international staff.<\/p>\n For his part, Israel\u2019s delegate affirmed that the legislation concerning Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA activities in his country will come into force in 48 hours when it must cease operations in Israel and evacuate all premises in Jerusalem. This reflects \u201cyears of efforts to address the grave accusations\u201d against Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, he stated \u2014 including failing its mandate, placing political agendas and cover-ups over humanitarian principles and refusing to address widespread Hamas infiltration. He reiterated Israel\u2019s readiness to work with agencies with a track record of efficiency and accountability, while Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s contribution is easily replaceable by organizations already operational in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael has destroyed everything in Gaza [\u2026] except the sacred bond between a people and their land,\u201d stated the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine. Israel\u2019s logic is simple: to get rid of the refugees, one must destroy the Agency serving them. \u201cIf there is no education, health or assistance, they will surrender, leave, and abandon the land and their dream of liberation and return,\u201d he said, adding that such conduct violates international law, including the orders issued by the International Court of Justice. Palestinians returning to the north know they will find ruins \u2014 \u201cyet, still, they went back,\u201d he said, noting that it is a testimony of their resilience.<\/p>\n Picking up that thread, Guyana\u2019s delegate echoed the words of poet Pablo Neruda: \u201cYou can cut all the flowers, but you cannot prevent spring from coming.\u201d Even amidst the 50 million tons of rubble, it is this \u201cspring\u201d \u2014 this hope for a new day in an independent State of their own and the drums of war silenced \u2014 that lies in the heart of every Palestinian, she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 28 January 2025 9852nd Meeting (AM) While Many Speakers Support Agency as Lifeline, Israel\u2019s Delegate Says It Failed The implementation of Israel\u2019s legislation on 30 January \u2014 curtailing the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA) \u2014 will undermine the ceasefire and sabotage Gaza\u2019s […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329],"document-source":[1362,1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2517,1769,1945,2265,6895,2005,1741,1745,6891],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-305195","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-source-security-council","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-access-and-movement","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-ceasefire","document-subject-convention-privileges-and-immunities-of-the-united-nations","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","document-subject-unrwa","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/305195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/305195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305205,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/305195\/revisions\/305205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=305195"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=305195"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=305195"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=305195"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=305195"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=305195"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=305195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}