New York, Antonia De Meo, Deputy Commissioner-General for Operational Support at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), warned of severe consequences if Israeli legislation designates UNRWA as a terrorist organisation.
During a UN Security Council meeting, requested by Algeria, Russia, and China, to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the UNRWA Deputy Commissioner-General emphasised that the three legislative proposals recently approved in their first reading by the Israeli Knesset undermine the foundations of international law and multilateral standards.
She stated that if these laws pass next week, they will directly endanger all UNRWA staff and the UN General Assembly mandate. The first bill aims to ban UNRWA operations in occupied East Jerusalem, the second to revoke the agency’s privileges and immunities since 1949, and the third to classify it as a terrorist organisation.
She warned that the impacts of these Israeli projects on UNRWA will s
oon affect the entire UN and the global community, stressing that such measures must not become the new norm for humanitarian operations in conflict zones worldwide.
The Deputy Commissioner-General also highlighted the spread of misinformation and incitement to violence against UNRWA on social media, putting staff, especially in the occupied Palestinian territories, at great risk.
She stressed that the prolonged conflict in Gaza hinders a peaceful resolution recognising shared humanity, promoting peaceful coexistence, and ending the suffering of Palestinian refugees.
Source: Bahrain News Agency
