UNRWA to shutter offices in West Bank and Gaza amid Israeli restrictions: Report

The offices of UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank will likely shut down amid growing restrictions from the Israeli government that seek to severely limit the rights group’s operation in the region.

According to a report by the New York Times, the Israeli government recently tabled and passed two bills that laid the groundwork to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. The provisions of the bill will take effect this month.

The UN says that UNRWA cannot be replaced by any other agency once the new laws come into effect. In October last year, the Knesset overwhelmingly voted for the suspension of UNRWA’s work in the West Bank and Gaza.

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Jamie McGoldrick, the official responsible for overseeing the work of UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank, said, “It would be a massive impact on an already catastrophic situation. f that is what the Israeli intention is — to remove any ability for us to save lives — you have to question what is the thinking and what is the end goal?”

How will the plan go by?

Meanwhile, the Benjamin Netanyahu-led administration has not made it clear how it will enforce the new laws and has also fallen short of directly addressing UNRWA’s work in the region, ministers have accused the agency of harbouring terrorists.

In late December, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Sharren Haskel, declined to elaborate on the government’s stance toward UNRWA in the territories during a press briefing. She suggested that Palestinian officials should address UNRWA in the West Bank.

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On the other hand, UN officials are all set to shutter its operations in both the West Bank and Gaza as the new laws will prohibit Israeli officials from interacting with UNRWA, which the agency says is crucial for delivering aid to Palestinians.

Louise Wateridge, a senior UNRWA official, said, “If we can’t share that information with Israeli authorities on a daily basis then we have staff lives in danger.”

The Israeli legislators who proposed the law have expressed hopes that it will lead to the removal of UNRWA from Gaza and the West Bank. Some have noted that the 90-day implementation period was designed to allow other aid organizations to step in and replace UNRWA.

How has UNRWA been crucial?

UNRWA, the primary UN agency supporting Palestinians, is distinct from other U.N. organizations. With a workforce of 30,000, predominantly Palestinians, the agency provides a wide range of services to six million Palestinians in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank, including education, healthcare, job training, food assistance, and waste management.