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Amnesty International condemned Israel’s decision to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Tuesday, saying it criminalizes humanitarian aid and could affect an already dire humanitarian situation.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard strongly opposed the newly approved law, which completely prohibits UNRWA from functioning within Israel’s borders, stating that it constitutes “an outright attack on the rights of Palestinian refugees.” Callamard stressed the law would further worsen Palestinians’ suffering and encouraged the international community to condemn Israel’s decision immediately and push the government to repeal the law.
Highlighting the UNRWA’s important role in Gaza since the war erupted in October 2023, Callamard added:
In defense of the ban, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Yuli Edelstein said UNRWA did not fulfill its humanitarian aid agency role and accused the organization of perpetuating refugees and promoting hatred and antisemitism.
The Israeli government’s targeting of the UNRWA goes back to January when allegations that staff members have participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks resurfaced, leading to the dismissal of several employees. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), “over 450 terrorists belonging to terrorist organizations in Gaza, mainly Hamas, are also employed by UNRWA”. The IDF further alleged more employees, excluding those who were fired, were involved in the attacks and are members of Hamas.
Israel approved a bill classifying the agency as a terrorist organization in May, following which the UNRWA announced that nine staff members may have been involved in the October 7 after an investigation was conducted by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) examining nineteen UNRWA staff members over their alleged involvement in the attacks.
As hostilities continue more than a year since the October 7 attacks, Palestinians face one of the worst humanitarian crises. According to the Palestinian emergency service, 100,000 civilians are trapped after Israel intensified its attacks on Northern Gaza in the past three weeks, leaving them without food and medical supplies.
The post Israel ban of UNRWA amounts to criminalization of humanitarian aid appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard strongly opposed the newly approved law, which completely prohibits UNRWA from functioning within Israel’s borders, stating that it constitutes “an outright attack on the rights of Palestinian refugees.” Callamard stressed the law would further worsen Palestinians’ suffering and encouraged the international community to condemn Israel’s decision immediately and push the government to repeal the law.
Highlighting the UNRWA’s important role in Gaza since the war erupted in October 2023, Callamard added:
The law banning the UNRWA’s operations was voted on Monday by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and comes following the recent approval of a bill curtailing UNRWA’s ability to operate in Israeli territory, revoking the Comay-Michelmore Agreement of 1967 that facilitated its activities. The ban received its share of criticism upon passing as various states, including the US, the UK, Ireland, and the EU, expressed concerns over the serious consequences of the legislation for Palestinians as well as its legality under international law.
In defense of the ban, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Yuli Edelstein said UNRWA did not fulfill its humanitarian aid agency role and accused the organization of perpetuating refugees and promoting hatred and antisemitism.
The Israeli government’s targeting of the UNRWA goes back to January when allegations that staff members have participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks resurfaced, leading to the dismissal of several employees. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), “over 450 terrorists belonging to terrorist organizations in Gaza, mainly Hamas, are also employed by UNRWA”. The IDF further alleged more employees, excluding those who were fired, were involved in the attacks and are members of Hamas.
Israel approved a bill classifying the agency as a terrorist organization in May, following which the UNRWA announced that nine staff members may have been involved in the October 7 after an investigation was conducted by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) examining nineteen UNRWA staff members over their alleged involvement in the attacks.
As hostilities continue more than a year since the October 7 attacks, Palestinians face one of the worst humanitarian crises. According to the Palestinian emergency service, 100,000 civilians are trapped after Israel intensified its attacks on Northern Gaza in the past three weeks, leaving them without food and medical supplies.
The post Israel ban of UNRWA amounts to criminalization of humanitarian aid appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.