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From Philippe Lazzarini, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Commissioner-General as posted on his official X account (previously known as Twitter)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n AMMAN<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYesterday\u2019s\u00a0vote\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0Israeli parliament passing new legislation against Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is outrageous. It is a direct affront to the mandate granted to the Agency by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly and contrary to findings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which oblige Israel to fulfil its responsibilities as a Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Member State to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA and the broader Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system.<\/p>\n The legislation cuts off water, electricity, fuel, and communications from Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA and grants the government of Israel authority to expropriate Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ properties in East Jerusalem, including Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s headquarters and its main vocational training centre.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the bill explicitly excludes Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA from Israeli law enacting Israel\u2019s obligations under the\u00a0Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations<\/a><\/em>. This stands in clear violation of the State of Israel\u2019s obligations under international law.<\/p>\n This latest move extends the laws passed last year and implemented since January 2025 that banned Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s operations in occupied East Jerusalem and halted all contact between Israeli officials and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.<\/p>\n The new legislation is a further blow to the multilateral system.\u00a0It\u00a0is part of an ongoing,\u00a0systematic campaign to\u00a0discredit\u00a0Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u00a0and thereby obstruct the core role that the Agency plays in providing human-development\u00a0assistance\u00a0and services to\u00a0Palestine Refugees. Services which the ICJ has ruled are essential for delivering on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ\u2019s commitment to the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination.<\/p>\n In October<\/a><\/em>, the ICJ restated that the State of Israel is obliged under international law to facilitate Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s operations, not hinder or prevent them. This new legislation is an unacceptable rejection of the ICJ\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n Israel is obliged to act within the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ framework and not take unilateral action contrary to its obligations under the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter. Should Israel dispute the actions of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, it must refer the issue to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ\u2019s deliberative bodies and seek a decisive ruling from the ICJ. A failure to do so disrespects the procedures critical to the operation of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system.<\/p>\n Despite Israel\u2019s obligations, these legislative steps have been accompanied by unilateral actions on the ground that show a repeated disregard for international law.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Israeli officials stormed Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s compound in East Jerusalem \u2013 which is a Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ premises \u2013 and tore down the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ flag, replacing it with an Israeli flag. And in May, they forced the closure of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s schools in East Jerusalem, depriving hundreds of Palestine Refugee children of their right to education.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s unilateral actions are having a\u00a0direct operational\u00a0and legal\u00a0impact on Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s services\u00a0in the occupied\u00a0Palestinian\u00a0territory,\u00a0including in Gaza, where the Agency is the backbone of the international humanitarian operation. As Gaza, the West Bank, and the wider region continue to face conflict and turmoil, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA \u2013\u00a0more than ever\u00a0\u2013\u00a0is irreplaceable.<\/p>\n Legislation against Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is also a further setback to efforts\u00a0to reach\u00a0a just and lasting diplomatic\u00a0solution\u00a0to the decades\u2019 long\u00a0Israeli-Palestinian\u00a0conflict.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Pending such a solution, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is mandated\u00a0to provide services,\u00a0especially\u00a0health and education,\u00a0to Palestine Refugees.<\/p>\n The rights of Palestine Refugees exist separate to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, under international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly resolutions, including\u00a0Resolution 194<\/a><\/em>, adopted in 1948, a year before Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA was created in\u00a0Resolution 302<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0Even if Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA no longer existed, these rights would endure.<\/p>\n The current and earlier legislation passed by the Israeli parliament also rejects the principal obligation of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Member States to respect the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ\u2019s independence and its privileges and immunities. It creates a grave precedent for other conflict situations where governments may wish to\u00a0eliminate\u00a0an inconvenient Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ presence.<\/p>\n It therefore targets not just Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, but any individual or entity calling for compliance with international law and a peaceful political solution. Failing to push back against attempts to intimidate and undermine the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ in the occupied Palestinian territory will eventually compromise humanitarian and human rights work worldwide. \u201c<\/p>\n Related content:<\/p>\n
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