Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Belgium condemned the anti-UNRWA laws adopted by the Israeli parliament.
Israel’s parliament Knesset on October 28, approved a bill banning the major UN aid agency for the war-devastated Gaza Strip, flashing an international outcry. Despite cautions from the UN Security Council, Israeli lawmakers overwhelmingly enacted the bill barring the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, from operating in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem. Israel already strictly regulates all humanitarian aid to Gaza, and lawmakers also passed a measure banning Israeli officials from working with UNRWA and its workers.Â
How does Belgium respond to Israel’s anti-UNRWA laws?
In recent months Belgium has urged Knesset not to move with the adoption of these laws strived to ban UNRWA from working in Israeli territory, East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank. According to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the laws adopted aim to cancel UNRWA’s privileges and immunities, refuse all contact with Israeli authorities and cease its offices, which will have a substantial effect on the agency’s ability to deliver services to Palestinian refugees. Â
Belgium deeply regrets the anti-@UNRWA laws adopted today by the Israeli parliament. Read more below. pic.twitter.com/RChpTmuPNY
— 🇧🇪 Belgium MFA (@BelgiumMFA) October 28, 2024
“Belgium deeply regrets the anti-UNRWA laws adopted today by the Israeli parliament and deplores that once again, the urgent appeals of the international community have been ignored. The Knesset has deliberately chosen to reject the mandate granted to UNRWA by the UN General Assembly. These laws are in direct violation of Israel’s obligations under international law. The expulsion of a UN agency sets a disastrous precedent that profoundly undermines the multilateral system and the United Nations itself,”
the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a post on X.
What impact will Israel’s ban have on UNRWA operations?
It was stated that Belgium was extremely concerned about the consequences that the implementation of those laws would have for the millions of Palestinian refugees who depended on UNRWA’s essential services for their livelihoods and dignity. At the same time, it expressed support for the continued efforts of UNRWA and its commitment to fully implement the recommendations of the Colonna report on the neutrality of UNRWA.
Moreover, it was noted by Belgium that until there is a global, just, and lasting solution to the conflict and the status of Palestinian refugees, UNRWA’s mandate is vital, as it represents the UN’s responsibility to address the issue from Palestine. It emphasized that achieving a two-state solution, where Israel and Palestine can live side by side in peace and security, is the only way to end the violence and intolerable suffering of civilian populations.
