Israel’s Knesset has voted to ban the UNRWA, the Palestinian relief organization, and prohibit contact with it, marking a significant escalation in tensions. The Israeli government has long accused UNRWA of anti-Semitism and complicity with Hamas. This decision threatens humanitarian aid in Gaza, where UNRWA is crucial for many Palestinians. Critics argue that the ban will worsen the dire situation without solving underlying issues. A cooperative solution is necessary to address both humanitarian needs and the complexities of the ongoing conflict.
The relationship between Israel and the Palestinian relief organization UNRWA has never been smooth. On Monday evening, a significant escalation occurred when the Israeli parliament voted overwhelmingly to prohibit UNRWA from operating within Israel and to bar any interaction between Israeli authorities and the organization. The specifics of how these laws will be enforced remain uncertain, but their intent is clear: to obstruct UNRWA’s activities both in Israel and in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
This dramatic action is rooted in a lengthy history of accusations against UNRWA. Over the years, Israel has claimed that the organization promotes anti-Semitism through its school materials and is infiltrated by Hamas. Many Israelis view UNRWA as a bastion of anti-Jewish sentiment that must be dismantled. The situation escalated after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, in which several UNRWA workers were implicated — a fact corroborated by an internal UN investigation. Reports even emerged that a Hamas commander involved in the violence had been employed by UNRWA for over two years.
Positions within UNRWA, which effectively assumes state functions in Gaza, provide Hamas members with access to vital resources and influence. The organization has long been exploited by Hamas for its own purposes, yet both the aid agency and the United Nations have shown an unwillingness or inability to address these abuses adequately, often downplaying the issues instead of confronting them.
Israel Seeks Change
The Knesset’s recent ban on UNRWA is a rash and poorly considered action that could create more issues than it aims to resolve. The humanitarian efforts of UNRWA in the beleaguered Gaza Strip are critical for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and currently, no other organization possesses the capacity to undertake this mission. If UNRWA, which depends on cooperation with Israel, faces restrictions, the dire humanitarian situation is poised to deteriorate further.
Israel has pledged to continue providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians through international partners, but no viable plan has been presented for accomplishing this within three months. This timeline appears unrealistic, especially as Israel has not made sufficient efforts over the past year to facilitate adequate aid delivery. In mid-October, the USA threatened to suspend arms transfers if improvements were not evident within 30 days.
Hamas bears part of the blame for the severe challenges faced, as they frequently seize aid deliveries to control distribution, thereby strengthening their power. Aid groups have stated that effective distribution is hindered under these conditions. While UNRWA seems powerless to address these hijackings, it also refrains from vocalizing the problem. Concurrently, the United Nations has yet to explore significant alternatives for improving aid distribution through other organizations, such as the UNHCR or the World Food Programme.
The ban on UNRWA appears to be an Israeli attempt to instigate change. However, this blunt approach is unlikely to foster goodwill or cooperation from either the UN or Israel’s allies. Reports suggest that Israel’s security agencies cautioned lawmakers about the potential international and humanitarian repercussions, yet no one, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, was willing to defend UNRWA or oppose the legislation.
Dependence on UNRWA
Israel’s campaign against UNRWA transcends mere humanitarian assistance. Established in 1949 as a temporary solution for 700,000 Palestinians who fled during the conflict, UNRWA now serves six million people across the region due to the inheritability of refugee status and the UN’s commitment to the right of return. This situation has perpetuated a cycle of dependency for Palestinians while allowing the Palestinian leadership, Israel, and neighboring Arab states to evade responsibility.
Israel seems to harbor the hope that by dismantling UNRWA, the refugee issue will fade away, thus unilaterally altering the dynamics of the longstanding geopolitical situation. However, neither the core disputes of the Middle East conflict nor the needs of those reliant on UNRWA will vanish. There remains a pressing need for Israel and the United Nations to collaboratively develop realistic solutions. Impulsive measures such as the UNRWA ban do not serve any stakeholders and threaten to exacerbate the hardships faced by the Palestinian population.