UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterre words marking one year to October 7 attack
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent an urgent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during Rosh Hashana expressing his deep concern about legislation in the Knesset targeting UNRWA. He warned that if the legislation passes, UNRWA will be unable to continue operating and would then need to raise the issue at the UN General Assembly.
The bill, which severs Israel's ties with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), is expected to be approved on Sunday by the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
According to the proposed law, all government representatives would be prohibited from engaging with UNRWA. This means that the foreign and interior ministries would not be able to issue entry visas for UNRWA staff and customs officials won’t process goods imported by the agency. Tax benefits granted to the organization would be revoked.
The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is now discussing the proposed law and representatives from the National Security Council (NSC) have requested that the details be classified. Some Knesset members, however, oppose the proposed bill.
The bill stipulates that ties with UNRWA will officially cease starting on Monday, and the agency will lose its diplomatic status and immunity, which it has enjoyed since 1967. Another clause in the bill specifies that UNRWA employees involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack won’t enjoy diplomatic immunity under Israeli law, meaning they could be prosecuted for their crimes.
In his letter to Netanyahu, Guterres wrote, "It’s deeply concerning that legislation is being considered in a member state of the United Nations that would fundamentally contradict the principles of the UN Charter.”
"The draft legislation currently under discussion in the Knesset, if passed, could prevent UNRWA from continuing its operations in the occupied Palestinian territories, thereby denying Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the West Bank the essential aid and protection that UNRWA has provided them since 1949,” he said.
"UNRWA operates in nearly 400 schools and more than 65 health clinics in the occupied Palestinian territories, providing education to more than 350,000 children and over 5 million medical consultations annually. UNRWA also provides vital assistance to the poor and social services,” Guterres wrote.
“Amid the current crisis in Gaza, UNRWA is the backbone of the UN’s humanitarian organization, offering lifesaving aid, shelter and support to the vast majority of Gaza’s nearly 2.3 million residents, all of whom are affected by the conflict."
"Given the gravity of the matter, I will need to bring it to the attention of the General Assembly if the draft legislation is adopted,” Guterres explained. “This would be a deeply concerning development in the UN's history, where a member state passes legislation requiring no contact between its authorities and a United Nations entity, in this case, UNRWA. It’s impossible to separate UNRWA from the UN. It is an integral part of it."
In his letter, Guterres emphasized that UNRWA's privileges and immunities would continue to apply to its staff, regardless of the legislation passed by the Knesset. "I hope it will be possible for your government to take the necessary steps to avoid the adoption of this legislation," he concluded.
In response to the letter, Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said, "The State of Israel has provided the UN with information on over 100 UNRWA employees who participated in the October 7 massacre. The UN’s own internal investigation determined that some UNRWA employees are Hamas terrorists.”
“UNRWA has failed both professionally — in building educational and economic infrastructure — and morally, by allowing free access for Hamas terrorists to use its resources to carry out a barbaric and brutal massacre. The UN would do better to focus its efforts on severing UNRWA’s ties with Hamas, rather than worrying about visas and tax benefits for terrorists. UNRWA has become a part of Hamas and it’s time the UN recognizes that,” he added.
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