“Devastating consequences” are warned by the UN chief over Israel’s UNRWA ban

On Monday, the UN head cautioned that Israel’s suspension on the agency that handles Palestinian refugees might have “devastating consequences.”

In a move that is anticipated to significantly limit the crucial organization’s ability to operate in areas that Israel occupies, the Israeli parliament passed two bills that prohibit the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees from conducting any work within Israel and to bar Israeli authorities from contacting UNRWA at all. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres made these statements after the bills were passed.

“The laws’ implementation could have devastating consequences” for Palestinian refugees in East Jerusalem and other occupied Palestinian territories, “which is unacceptable,” Guterres said in a statement.

UNRWA currently provides basic necessities including food, education, and medical care to around 6 million Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East, including in East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank. The organization started out helping roughly 750,000 refugees in 1950.

Israel’s action “would be damaging for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian issue and for peace and security in the region as a whole … “UNRWA is necessary,” Guterres declared.

Additionally, the UN head encouraged Israel to fulfill its responsibilities under international law. “Those obligations won’t be changed by national legislation,” he stated.