International outcry escalates following ‘israel’s’ prohibition of the United Nations’ Palestine aid agency UNRWA’
Global condemnations have poured in following Israel's legislation prohibiting the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from operating in Palestine, a decision that threatens to inflict severe repercussions on millions of Palestinians enduring Israeli occupation and genocide.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a statement warned that enforcing a law prohibiting UNRWA from operating in the Israeli occupied Palestinian territories could lead to catastrophic outcomes for Palestinian refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, deeming such a scenario unacceptable.
“There is no alternative to UNRWA,” Guterres said, adding, “The implementation of these laws would be detrimental for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for peace and security in the region as a whole. As I said before, UNRWA is indispensable.”
He noted that Israel is urged to adhere to its commitments under the United Nations Charter and other international legal frameworks, arguing domestic laws cannot override these responsibilities.
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of UNRWA, in a post on X said that the new Israeli law to ban his organization only deepens the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through “more than a year of sheer hell” and is “nothing less than collective punishment.”
