By The World Ambassador
TWA
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemns the decision of the “Israeli Knesset” and rejects its vote on a law targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The Ministry considers the “Knesset” a tool of the occupation, as it constitutes hostility against the Palestinian people, their rights and their supporters.
The Ministry stresses that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied territory of the State of Palestine, including Jerusalem, and that UNRWA’s work is welcomed based on the agreement between the State of Palestine and the international organization. It also stresses that these laws pose a threat to the work of UNRWA and its role in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, as the law seeks to ban the agency’s work in the occupied city of Jerusalem, and constitutes an attack on the international presence in Palestine, and threatens the fate of the basic services provided by UNRWA to Palestinian refugees, especially in light of the war of extermination to which the Palestinian people are exposed.
The Ministry also strongly condemns the continued attempts of Israel, the occupying power, to undermine UNRWA and its vital work, and considers the Knesset laws a blatant attack on the United Nations and its agencies, and a violation of the terms of Israel’s membership in the United Nations. These laws are part of Israel’s systematic strategy to dismantle the agency’s work as a witness to the Nakba crime committed against the Palestinian people, and to end the Palestinian refugee issue and their right to return to their homes under General Assembly Resolution (194).
The Ministry reaffirms the immunities and privileges enjoyed by UNRWA and its employees under international law and various international agreements, and considers the Israeli measures illegal, null and void, and constitute a flagrant violation of international law and relevant agreements, including the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, and also violates the General Assembly resolutions, especially Resolution 302, which came in response to the Palestinian refugee crisis, which established UNRWA and its work, and Resolution (194), which affirms the right of refugees to return, and also contradicts the General Assembly resolution that affirmed the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the illegitimacy of the occupation and the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the sovereignty of the State of Palestine over the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses its rejection of all attempts aimed at undermining the work of UNRWA, replacing it, reducing or preventing its funding, as UNRWA represents a lifeline for more than 5.9 million Palestinian refugees, and plays a fundamental and vital role in maintaining stability in the region, providing education, health care, employment and humanitarian assistance, until the right of return for Palestinian refugees is achieved, which reflects the international community’s commitment to the issue of Palestinian refugees, says press note.
Accordingly, the Ministry warns of the danger of these laws, due to the catastrophic repercussions they will cause for Palestinian refugees in Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and other areas of UNRWA operations, and the State of Palestine calls on the international community to take immediate and decisive measures to confront these racist laws and to protect the Palestinian people, UNRWA and other international organizations operating in the occupied territories, to ensure the continuation of their work in providing vital services in accordance with the mandate granted to them.
