CAIRO

The Arab League on Thursday called for the adoption of a UN resolution opposing Israel’s decision to ban the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from operating in the country .

The initiative was taken during an extraordinary session of the Arab League Council at the permanent representative level in Cairo, following a request from Jordan to discuss the Arab response to a recent decision by the Israeli Knesset, or parliament , to ban UNRWA operations in Israel.

The meeting demanded in its decision that “representatives of Arab countries in New York coordinate with ambassadors and representatives of friendly countries and the UN Secretariat to request a special session of the UN General Assembly, because it is the body that made the decision to create UNRWA, to discuss the repercussions of this serious Israeli law and to issue a UN resolution rejecting this illegal Israeli measure.

He also called on “the Arab Parliament, the parliaments of Arab countries and the Inter-Parliamentary Union to act by putting pressure on the Israeli Knesset to repeal the decision to stop UNRWA operations, considering that this decision constitutes a clear and direct violation of international standards.” and agreements, and to study measures to suspend the Knesset’s membership in the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The league stressed in its decision the need to “continue to provide the necessary political and financial support to UNRWA so that it can continue to fulfill its role in accordance with its UN mandate in its five areas of operations”, namely Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. , the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, Jordan formally asked the pan-Arab bloc to hold an emergency meeting to discuss a collective response to the Knesset legislation.

The Knesset on Monday passed a bill banning UNRWA from operating in Israel, which would ultimately affect its work in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The legislation will come into force in 90 days.

UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini called the Israeli ban “unprecedented and dangerous” and a violation of the UN Charter.

Israel has accused UNRWA employees of complicity in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas, alleging that the agency’s educational programs “promote terrorism and hatred.”

UNRWA, headquartered in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, denies the accusations and says it remains neutral, focusing only on supporting refugees.

The agency, founded by a 1949 United Nations General Assembly resolution, provides aid and protection to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza.

The Israeli army has continued a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire.

Since then, more than 43,160 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 101,500 others have been injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli attack has displaced almost the entire population of the territory, amid a permanent blockade that has led to serious shortages of food, drinking water and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case before the International Court of Justice for its brutal war on Gaza.

*Written by Rania Abu Shamala

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