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| Volume 54 Number 28, November 2, 2024 | ARCHIVE | HOME | JBCENTRE | SUBSCRIBE |
UNRWA in Gaza
His Excellency Mr Philémon Yang President of the General Assembly, New York
Dear Mr President,
On December 7, 2023, and February 22, 2024, I wrote to the President of the General Assembly that UNRWA's ability to implement its mandate was under threat. Today, I must inform you that the Agency is under such physical, political, and operational attack - unprecedented in United Nations history - that implementation of its mandate may become impossible without decisive intervention by the General Assembly. The consequences for Palestinians, for Israel, and for the region will be grave.
The adoption today by the Knesset of two laws on UNRWA in effect denies the protections and means essential for UNRWA to operate, forbidding Israeli state officials from contact with UNRWA or its representatives, and prohibiting UNRWA operations within what is referred to as the sovereign territory of the State of Israel.
The legislation comes after a year of blatant disregard for UNRWA staff lives, premises and humanitarian operations in Gaza, and after intense diplomatic campaigns by the Government of Israel targeting UNRWA's donors with disinformation to undermine funding. Israeli local authorities are also threatening to evict UNRWA from its headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem and replace it with settlements.
These developments risk the collapse of UNRWA's operations in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza, and severely undermine the overall UN Gaza humanitarian operation which relies on UNRWA's platform. In the absence of any viable alternative to the Agency, these measures will compound the suffering of Palestinians.
Mr President, The situation in Gaza is beyond the diplomatic vocabulary of the General Assembly. After more than a year of the most intense bombardment of a civilian population since World War II, and the restriction of humanitarian aid far below minimum needs, the lives of Palestinians are shattered. More than 43,000 people are reported killed, the majority women and children. Nearly the entire population is displaced. Schools, universities, hospitals, places of worship, bakeries, water, sewage and electricity systems, roads and farmland have all been destroyed. The surviving population lives in the greatest indignity. In the North, the population is trapped, awaiting death by airstrikes or starvation.
Hostages taken from Israel continue to suffer in captivity, their families left in terrible distress. Violence is escalating in the West Bank, where the destruction of public infrastructure inflicts collective punishment on the civilian population. War has spilled over and intensified in Lebanon.
Dismantling UNRWA will have a catastrophic impact on the international response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It will also sabotage any chance of recovery. In the absence of a full-fledged public administration or state, no entity other than UNRWA can deliver education to 660,000 boys and girls. An entire generation of children will be sacrificed, with long-term risks of marginalisation and extremism. In the West Bank, UNRWA's collapse would deprive Palestine Refugees of access to education and primary healthcare, greatly worsening an already unstable situation.
The political ramifications of UNRWA's collapse are disastrous, with dire consequences for international peace and security. The attacks on the Agency advance unilateral changes to the parameters of any future political solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict and harm Palestinians' right to self-determination and aspirations for a political solution.
The attacks will not terminate the refugee status of Palestinians, which exists independently of UNRWA's service provision, but will severely harm their lives and future.
Mr President, Allegations concerning breaches of neutrality, such as misuse of the Agency by Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas, have been used to justify the actions against UNRWA. The April 2024 Independent Review of UNRWA's neutrality (the Colonna Report) noted the Agency's exceptionally difficult operating environment and found that UNRWA has a more robust neutrality framework than any comparable organisation. The Agency continues to make every possible effort to implement the report's recommendations, including through a dedicated implementation team. Notwithstanding these efforts, UNRWA - like comparable UN entities - does not have police, military or intelligence capabilities and must rely on Member States for protection and neutrality, especially in areas controlled by powerful militant groups. To this end, for over 15 years, UNRWA has shared annually the names of its staff with the Government of Israel. This includes the names of staff about whom the government n ever previously raised concerns but who have now been included in government lists alleging armed militancy. The Agency takes every allegation extremely seriously. It has sent repeated requests to the government - in March, April, May, and July - appealing for evidence to enable action. No response has been received. UNRWA is therefore in the invidious position of being unable to address allegations for which it has no evidence, while these allegations continue to be used to undermine the Agency. Going forward, I hope the Government of Israel will engage with UNRWA senior management to address every allegation, so they are no longer a concern for the government or an obstacle to UNRWA.
The Agency is also under intense physical attack in Gaza. At least 237 UNRWA personnel have been killed. Over 200 premises have been damaged or destroyed, killing more than 560 people seeking UN protection. Dozens of UNRWA staff have been detained and report being tortured. The Agency has received allegations regarding the military use of its premises by Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, and Israeli forces. Given that all of Gaza is an active combat zone mostly under evacuation orders, the Agency cannot possibly verify these allegations. There must be accountability through an independent investigation.
Mr President, Today, even as we look into the faces of children in Gaza, some of whom we know will die tomorrow, the rules-based international order is crumbling in a repetition of the horrors that led to the establishment of the United Nations, and in violation of commitments to prevent their recurrence. The attacks on UNRWA are an integral part of this disintegration. I believe UNRWA has delivered on its mandate to a standard far beyond anything that could be asked of any UN entity or staff. Gazans say UNRWA is the only pillar of their lives still standing. My staff has worked for 13 months without pause, in great danger, amid personal tragedies and family displacement. Teachers are managing shelters for tens of thousands. Primary healthcare staff are performing surgeries. Drivers are risking their lives each day to save people from starvation. Managers are making impossible life or death decisions. UNRWA has helped ensure Gaza's survival until now, sustaining hopes for a politic al solution. My staff has given far more than we have the right to ask of them. Under such untenable conditions, I seek Member States' support, commensurate with the gravity of the situation and risks, to ensure the Agency's ability to fully implement the mandate conferred by the General Assembly, (Res. 302 (IV), 1949).
I await your urgent decision.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Sincerely,
(UNRWA, October 29, 2024)