For decades, UNRWA has provided millions of Palestinian refugees in the region with basic social services such as education and healthcare. In Gaza, the UN agency has also long provided humanitarian assistance to a population where 80 % were already dependent on aid before the ongoing war and 67 % lacked sufficient food. Today, UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response in what Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard calls a “human catastrophe” in Gaza. UNRWA is the largest humanitarian actor in Gaza and several major humanitarian organizations believe that banning UNRWA from operating in Gaza will lead to a total collapse of the humanitarian response. Moreover, preventing UNRWA from assisting millions of Palestinians would constitute collective punishment.
Israel claims that UNRWA is “infected by terrorism”. However, major donors, including Sweden, have welcomed the thorough investigations that followed allegations of staff links to Hamas. These investigations led to the dismissal of nine people with suspected links to Hamas.
The Knesset decision is in violation of the State of Israel's obligations under international law and opposes the UN Charter. As the Nordic Foreign Ministers pointed out in a statement last week, only the UN General Assembly can determine the status of UNRWA, not Israel.
Palestinians’ refugee status remains
UNRWA Executive Director Philippe Lazzarini recalls: “Putting an end to UNRWA & its services will not strip the Palestinians from their refugee status. That status is protected by another UN General Assembly resolution until a fair and lasting solution is found to the plight of the Palestinians.”
The solution is not to undermine or limit the role of UNRWA, or, as in the case of Israel, to ban a UN agency from operating. The solution is to seriously address the reason why UNRWA must exist: the Palestinian refugee issue and the right of millions of people to live a decent life without war and occupation.
An attack on the UN system and on international law
The attempt to stop the work of UNRWA is not just an attack on one UN agency, it is an attack on the entire UN system. A system that emerged from the rubble of the Second World War and which, with all its flaws and challenges, is our best guarantor of security and peace in the world.
The stakes are high. States that want to see a world where international law is respected cannot be content with statements of concern; strong action is needed to save both the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza and the UN system itself. We expect the Swedish government to stand up for these principles and act accordingly.