Calling for an international alliance to defend UNRWA and continue efforts to hold Israel accountable for its crimes

A few days remain until the Israeli Knesset law banning the activities of UNRWA in Palestine comes into effect. All indications suggest that Israel is determined to implement its law despite opposition from countries and international institutions. This opposition stems not only from the necessity of UNRWA, which is considered the sole institution capable of providing the minimum necessities of life for Palestinian refugees, especially in the Gaza Strip, but also because this law contradicts the United Nations Charter and violates Israel›s obligations and commitments. This was stated in the proposal submitted by Norway requesting the opinion of the International Court of Justice, which deemed «the Israeli law to be a violation of the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian law, asserting that Israel uses this law as a tool to prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population of the Gaza Strip.»
The Legal Department of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine calls on the International Court of Justice to expedite its decision on the request submitted to it by the United Nations General Assembly (December 2024) regarding Israel›s obligations to facilitate aid provided to Palestinians by countries and international organizations, including the United Nations. (The Court issued a previous decision calling for this at the beginning of 2024.) It further calls for taking measures to annul the Knesset law and ensure Israel›s compliance with its international obligations under the terms of its membership in the United Nations and its commitment to facilitating the work of international organizations, as per Articles (2) and (105) of the Charter.
The Legal Department of the Democratic Front believes that Israel is playing on time, exploiting international divisions and the clear incapacity of the international organization to deal with a member that openly rebels against international law and exhibits hostility towards international institutions, supported by a state with veto power in the Security Council. Therefore, the failure of the International Court of Justice to issue a swift opinion would grant Israeli authorities the opportunity to begin implementing their law on the ground, whether in Gaza, where there is a dire need for UNRWA’s support following the ceasefire, or in the West Bank, where UNRWA has halted its work in its main center in Jerusalem. This will cause legal, political, and humanitarian problems, whose repercussions are already evident among Palestinian refugees.
The Legal Department of the Democratic Front holds the Israeli occupation fully responsible for all consequences resulting from this fascist law and considers that the United Nations, through all its institutions, has failed to take the necessary punitive measures, within its powers, against a member that violated the Charter and international law, especially humanitarian law, and insulted the international organization with the harshest terms. Consequently, the U.S. veto should not serve as a justification for Israel›s continued rebellion against the international and legal system. The United Nations’ passive approach and its slow follow-up procedures in confronting the Israeli law have encouraged Israel to proceed with implementing the law as a de facto reality.
The Legal Department of the Democratic Front joins its voice with all experts in international and humanitarian law in calling for doubling international efforts to compel Israel to retract its measures against UNRWA. It emphasizes that condemnation and protest alone are insufficient; merely labeling the law as a contradiction to international law or reiterating that the occupying power is obligated to agree to relief efforts under international humanitarian law falls short, as has been the case since the Israeli Knesset passed this law.
The Legal Department of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine reiterates its warning about the humanitarian, legal, and political repercussions expected as a result of Israel›s insistence on implementing the law, disregarding the positions of the majority of countries and institutions worldwide. It calls on friends and allies of the Palestinian people, and advocates for UNRWA and its continued operations, from states, organizations, institutions, and individuals who care about the work of international institutions, to form an international alliance against the Zionist campaign fueled by Israeli and Western entities. This alliance should mobilize all scientific, technical, research, and documentation capabilities to nullify the aggressive content of Israel’s actions against UNRWA. It should also persist in efforts to punish Israel, whether by expelling it from membership in the United Nations General Assembly or holding its officials and soldiers accountable in international courts, especially the International Criminal Court and other regional and international frameworks, for the genocide committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip and its ongoing actions in the West Bank in various forms.