After banning UNRWA, Israel has yet to propose alternative aid structure for Palestinians

By an overwhelming 92 to 10 vote, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, approved a bill on October 28 to ban the activities of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from Israeli territory.

The vote provoked an international outcry led by the United States and the UN, which denounced it as an “intolerable” decision which would have “devastating consequences”.

“These bills increase the suffering of the Palestinians and are nothing less than collective punishment,” UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said on Monday.

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On Thursday, Lazzarini said the Israeli laws are the “culmination of years of attack against the agency” adding that "the objective is to strip the Palestinian from refugee status”.

Created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees) began operations in 1950 to aid Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

The agency manages health centres and schools in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Providing shelter, food and medical care, it is considered the “backbone” of aid to Gaza.

While the agency has long been a source of vexation for Israel, the government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stepped up the pressure in February, accusing some of its employees of involvement in the October 7 attacks on its soil.

"There is a deep connection between the terrorist organisation (Hamas) and UNRWA, and Israel cannot put up with it," said Yuli Edelstein, one of the MPs behind the two bills voted on Monday by the Knesset. The second law, adopted by 89 votes to seven, bans Israeli officials from working with the UN agency and its employees.

Most of the votes opposing the legislation came from the few Arab Israeli MPs or ultra-minority representatives of the far left. The vast majority of the opposition concurs with the Netanyahu government in its rejection of UNRWA.

According to Elizabeth Sheppard Sellam, lecturer in international and political relations at the University of Tours, the laws passed by the Knesset are “a way for the government to assure Israelis that it won't let October 7 happen again”. For her, “it's the simplistic rhetoric of a populist government, and a strong message that comes as Israelis feel they are not being heard by the international community.”

‘Erased’ politically

Within the Israeli government, but also more generally among the Israeli public, “UNRWA is a source of aggravation,” Sellam said.

She notes that while the controversial law itself is hotly debated within Israeli society – thought not to be the best way to act, particularly vis-à-vis the international community – there is no doubt that the UNRWA is a concern for most Israelis.

“Israelis, including those who are against Netanyahu's government and think this law is troublesome, also think this agency is troublesome," says Sellam.

“The ultimate challenge is to find an alternative, something that performs the same functions as UNRWA but poses less of a problem for Israelis, while also being accepted by the international community.”   

There are other agencies on the ground, “but to do what UNRWA does, you need something more substantial. And for that, you need a plan. And the current government still doesn't have one,” says Sellam.

“UNRWA is the principal means by which essential assistance is provided to Palestinian refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, reacting to the Knesset vote.   

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Although no proof has yet been provided, the Israeli government claims that around 10 percent of the agency's 30,000 employees (13,000 of whom work in Gaza) are affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

In August, a UN investigation revealed that “nine people [from UNRWA] may have been involved” in the October 7 massacres in Israel.

An independent review group led by French diplomat Catherine Colonna concluded in April that the actions of a few individuals should not lead to the dismantling of the agency, noting that UNRWA remains "irreplaceable and indispensable to Palestinians' human and economic development".

Many countries that suspended funding to UNRWA after the October 7 attacks have since resumed their financial backing, including Sweden, Canada, Japan, Germany  the EU and France – while others, including the United States and Britain – have not.

For the Palestinians, the new legislation goes beyond the humanitarian question. “The aim of this law is to move from humanitarian erasure to political erasure,” said Rami Abou Jamous, a Palestinian journalist in Gaza, on FRANCE 24.

“Everyone knows that UNRWA represents the refugees' right of return, the United Nations' recognition that these Palestinians have suffered injustice and have been forced to leave their homes”, he said. “The organisation's presence is the presence of this right of return. To erase UNRWA is to erase the belonging of [the Palestinians] to this land.”  

Imposing a dialogue

Jordan denounced an attempt to “politically assassinate” UNRWA, and several countries including Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Spain – countries that have recognised a Palestinian state – “condemned” the laws adopted on Monday.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that Israel was prepared to work with international partners to “facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel’s security”.

For Sellam, the Knesset's passage of the bills allows the Israeli government to “impose a dialogue by saying: 'You didn't want to listen to us? Now you will.’”

Indeed, she explains, if there is a lack of understanding of this law on the part of the international community, there is also a lack of understanding of the motivations behind it, notably the concerns shared by the Israeli population about the involvement of some UNRWA employees in the attacks that plunged Israel into mourning a year ago.

The adoption of this law represents “a middle finger to the UN, which is seen as a hostile organisation”, says Sellam, who adds that part of the Israeli population believes that the law could protect them from an institution they distrust.

Israelis “have the feeling that the UN doesn't care about them”, she says, “and the current government takes this more as a motivation to say to the UN: ‘Enough!’”

“It's not the best way to engage in dialogue,” she says, “but it's seen as a strong message to send”.

The fact remains, however, that the already weakened humanitarian system in Gaza is now under even greater threat.

Sellam says that, although other humanitarian organisations are on the ground, the aid they provide is not sustainable in the long term, adding that a large part of the Israeli population, although distrustful of UNRWA, does not want to see all humanitarian aid stopped.

Without UNRWA, for example, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said it would be unable to distribute vital supplies in the Palestinian enclave, its spokesman James Elder said on Monday.

Sellam concludes that “there is a long-term obligation to find a solution. A solution that is legitimate for both Palestinians and Israelis."

This article has been translated from the original in French.