NEW YORK July 26. 2024 (Saba) -The United Nations has warned that the three bills passed by the Zionist Knesset related to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) undermine the foundations of international law and multilateral norms and will have serious and immediate consequences and will put all UNRWA staff and the General Assembly's mandate at immediate risk.
This came during a meeting held by the UN Security Council on Friday, on "the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue," at the request of Algeria, China and Russia to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The Deputy Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Antonia Marie de Meo, said in a speech via video conference that the Zionist Knesset approved last Monday in preliminary reading three legislative bills related to UNRWA, one aimed at banning the agency's operations in occupied East Jerusalem; the second seeks to abolish the privileges and immunities of the United Nations granted to UNRWA since 1949; and the third classifies UNRWA as a terrorist organization.
"If these bills are passed, the consequences will be dire and immediate, putting all UNRWA staff and the mandate of the Agency's General Assembly at immediate risk. We cannot afford this to become a new standard for future humanitarian operations in conflict zones around the world."
Calls for the dismantling of UNRWA must be addressed, because of its role in protecting the rights of Palestine refugees and because it embodies the international community's commitment to a just and lasting political solution.
In her speech, Antonia Marie de Meo touched on the continued efforts of the occupation to dismantle UNRWA, pointing to the refusal of the Zionist entity to grant entry visas to many United Nations employees, its refusal to renew the visa of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA for more than a month, and subjecting the visa process to repeated and long bureaucratic processes.
Misinformation about UNRWA spreads on social media, sometimes crossing the line of incitement to violence, putting the Agency's staff at grave risk, especially in the occupied Palestinian territory.
E.M
resource : Saba