Israel Bans U.N. Agency That Is a Main Provider of Aid to Gaza

TIME

Israel's parliament has passed two laws that could prevent the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, a main provider of aid to Gaza, from being able to continue its work.

Transcript

00:00This unimaginable suffering was set in motion by Hamas on October 7th and the

00:07United States has not been shy about criticizing this council's failure to

00:13condemn Hamas's atrocities and repeated violations of international law. Some,

00:20many in this council have not done as of yet. At the same time, the United States

00:28has made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that one year into this

00:34conflict, Israel must address the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza,

00:41that the United States rejects any Israeli efforts to starve Palestinians

00:47in Jabalia or anywhere else, and that Israel's words must be matched by action

00:55on the ground. Right now, that is not happening. This must change immediately.

01:01The U.S. has stated clearly that Israel must allow food, medicine, and other

01:08supplies into all of Gaza, especially the north, and especially as winter sets in,

01:14and protect the workers distributing it. In this regard, I reiterate our deep

01:21concerns about legislation adopted by the Knesset regarding UNRWA. There's no

01:28denying the fact some UNRWA personnel were involved in the October 7th attacks.

01:35This council heard directly from families of hostages taken into Gaza by

01:41UNRWA staff, as we just heard from the Israeli ambassador. UNRWA itself has

01:48confirmed that there were some Hamas members found among its personnel.

01:55In addition, though we acknowledge the steps UNRWA has taken to implement the reforms

02:01outlined in the Kelowna report, we need this progress to accelerate. At the same

02:07time, we know that right now there is no alternative to UNRWA when it comes to

02:14delivering food and other life-saving aid in Gaza. Therefore, we have concerns

02:19about this legislation being implemented. Instead of speaking at one another,

02:26Israel and the UN must speak to one another to address the fears that led to

02:33the Knesset's legislation, and to ensure that UNRWA can fulfill its critical

02:39mandate, rebuild confidence in its mission, and the hundreds of staff who

02:45are not associated with Hamas.

02:48In terms of the situation in Gaza, we'd echo the comments of others within the UN.

02:53This situation could not be, the needs of the Palestinian people cannot be

02:58met without the support of UNRWA, which has been providing support to

03:03the Palestinian community for many, many years. Of course, we in the international

03:07humanitarian community, with others, are providing humanitarian assistance, do

03:12stand ready to provide more to those who are in need. It's really a question of

03:16being able to access those who need us most. UNRWA now has provided basically

03:22the backbone of infrastructure within places like Gaza. They provide education,

03:28they provide health care, they provide some of the most basic needs for people

03:35who have been living there for decades. That's not something that IOM does.

03:40What IOM does well, and what IOM is doing and can do more of with the support of

03:46the various stakeholders is to provide humanitarian support. So support to those

03:51who are displaced, support to those who need shelter, support to those who need

03:55hygiene kits, to support to those who do not have sufficient access to protection.

04:01That's where IOM can play a role. So there's no way for IOM to step in to do

04:07what UNRWA has done. UNRWA is absolutely essential to the people of Gaza. And I

04:12don't want to leave anyone with the misimpression that IOM can play that role

04:16because we cannot.

04:17The voting of last night is forbidding the contacts between Israel state entities

04:25and the United Nations relief at work is extremely worrying. Why? I will tell you

04:31because the consequences are extremely worrying and are making impossible for

04:37UNRWA vital operations in Gaza to operate. As we see it, there is no alternative to

04:45UNRWA as we speak. UNRWA provides essential services to millions of people

04:51in Gaza, but not only, to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and across the

04:57region, including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan. This legislation stands in stark

05:03contradiction with international law and fundamental humanitarian principle of

05:09humanity. So what we are doing right now is that we do urge the authorities to

05:15reconsider in order to prevent disruption of UNRWA's life-saving services and

05:22ensure continued and unhindered humanitarian access for UNRWA to the

05:28Palestine refugees. We have made quite clear to the government of Israel that we

05:35are deeply concerned by this proposed legislation. The Secretary raised this in

05:41the letter that he sent with the Secretary of Defense to Minister of

05:45Defense Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Dermer a little over two weeks

05:50ago. As he made clear in that letter, passage of this legislation could have

05:56implications under U.S. law and U.S. policy. That remains the case. Look, UNRWA

06:02plays a critical, important role in delivering humanitarian assistance to

06:08civilians that need it in Gaza. It's not the only role they play. They play an

06:12important role providing services to Palestinians in the West Bank and

06:16throughout the region as well. But they really play an irreplaceable role right

06:20now in Gaza where they are on the front lines getting humanitarian assistance to

06:24the people they need it. There's nobody that can replace them right now in the

06:27middle of the crisis.

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