International Veto powers criticize Israel for seeking to ban UNRWA

The veto powers of the United Nations have criticized the Israeli parliament's ban on work for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA in a rare display of unity.

The USA is "deeply troubled by this legislation", said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in Washington. "It poses risks to millions of Palestinians who rely on UNRWA for essential services, including health care and primary and secondary education," he said. UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed similar sentiments.

The Israeli parliament approved the controversial bill, which prohibits the UN organization from operating on Israeli territory, by a large majority on Monday evening. This means that the aid organization can hardly continue its operations in the Palestinian territories because Israel controls the border crossings.

Chinese UN Ambassador Fu Cong condemned the Israeli decision in the Security Council "in the strongest terms". Closing the agency would be a "collective punishment of millions of Palestinian refugees".

Russia's Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia spoke of a risk that the aid agency could be shut down for good. "We support the UN Secretary-General's statement that UNRWA is irreplaceable and that there is no alternative to it today."

UN Secretary-General António Guterres had also previously stated that there was no alternative to UNRWA's work.

No justification for ending UNRWA's work

Israel accuses the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency that some of its employees were involved in terrorist activities on October 7.

British UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward, among others, objected to this: "The allegations against UNRWA staff earlier this year have been fully investigated. There is no justification for breaking off relations with UNRWA".

France's representative Nicolas de Riviere demanded that Israel should not criminalize the UN agency.

SDA