The Arab League holds an extraordinary meeting to discuss Israel’s decision to end the activities of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in the occupied Palestinian territories. The statement issued called on the UN to decide Israel’s decision.
At the extraordinary meeting of the permanent representatives of the Arab League held to discuss the decision of the Israeli Parliament to end the activities of the United Nations (UN) Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the occupied Palestinian territories, a call was made for “a resolution to be passed in the UN against this decision”.
The Arab countries’ UN representatives were asked to “coordinate with the ambassadors of friendly countries and the UN Secretary-General to request the UN General Assembly, as the authority that decided on the establishment of UNRWA, to convene a special session to discuss the repercussions of this dangerous decision by Israel.”
The declaration requested the UN to take a “counter-decision” regarding Israel’s decision.
The statement also called on the Arab Parliament, the parliaments of Arab countries, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union to “put pressure on the Israeli Parliament to rescind its decision to suspend UNRWA’s activities and to take steps to freeze Israel’s membership in the Inter-Parliamentary Union.”
It was noted in the statement that UNRWA’s role cannot be abandoned until the Palestinian refugee problem is resolved and an independent and sovereign Palestinian state is established, and that the necessary political and financial support should be maintained for UNRWA to continue its work in its areas of activity (Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza).
The statement condemned the Israeli Parliament’s approval of the “illegal” bill, which proposes to end UNRWA’s activities in the Palestinian territories, and noted that this bill is a continuation of the systematic targeting campaign against the Agency and the effort to politically destroy it.
The declaration emphasized that decisions taken by the occupying power cannot override UN resolutions that guarantee the rights of Palestinian refugees to return and compensation.
On October 28, the Israeli Parliament approved a bill that would terminate UNRWA’s activities.
According to The Guardian “It’s outrageous that a member state of the United Nations is working to dismantle a UN agency which also happens to be the largest responder in the humanitarian operation in Gaza,” Juliette Touma, spokesperson for Unrwa, said in a statement.
According to UNRIC “I call on Israel to act consistently with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and its other obligations under international law, including under international humanitarian law and those concerning privileges and immunities of the United Nations. National legislation cannot alter those obligations,” the Secretary-General said.
The Arab Parliament, the parliaments of Arab countries, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union were also pressed to act and influence the Israeli Knesset to revoke its ban, “considering that this decision constitutes a clear and direct violation of international norms and agreements and to study steps to suspend the Knesset’s membership in the Inter-Parliamentary Union.” according to Arabic Al Mayadeen
