Israel must step in if it bans the UN agency that is a lifeline for Gaza, UN says

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations stressed Tuesday that if Israel puts successful spot caller laws cutting ties pinch nan U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, nan Israeli authorities will person to meet their needs nether world law.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says location is nary different U.N. replacement to nan agency, known arsenic UNRWA. It has been a lifeline during nan Israel-Hamas warfare successful Gaza, and the Israeli legislation “will person a devastating effect connected nan humanitarian situation” successful nan Palestinian territories, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

The U.N. agencies for children, wellness and migration besides stressed that UNRWA is nan “backbone” of nan world body’s operations successful Gaza, wherever people trust connected emergency nutrient aid during nan much than yearlong warfare , which has killed tens of thousands and near overmuch of nan enclave successful ruins.

The United Nations is heartened by statements of support for UNRWA from each quarters and countries that often disagree pinch 1 another, Dujarric said, and “we would very overmuch admit efforts by immoderate personnel authorities to thief america get complete this hurdle.”

Israel has alleged that immoderate of UNRWA’s 13,000 unit members successful Gaza participated successful nan Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas, which sparked nan warfare successful Gaza. It besides has accused hundreds of UNRWA unit of having militant ties and said it has recovered Hamas subject assets successful aliases nether nan agency’s facilities.

Israel passed 2 laws Monday that could forestall UNRWA from continuing its work, which isolated it among nan U.N.'s 193 personnel nations. Even nan United States, its closest ally, joined galore governments and humanitarian organizations successful opposing nan Israeli legislation, which doesn’t return effect for 3 months.

Guterres sent a missive Tuesday to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlining his concerns and “the issues of world rule that person been raised,” Dujarric said.

As an occupying power, nether international humanitarian law, Israel is required to guarantee nan needs of nan Palestinians are met, including for food, wellness attraction and education, nan U.N. spokesperson said. And if Israel isn’t successful a position to meet those needs, “it has an responsibility to let and to facilitate nan activities of nan U.N., including UNRWA and different humanitarian agencies, to meet those needs.”

“Should UNRWA cease to run — and for america location is nary replacement — Israel would person to capable nan vacuum,” Dujarric said. “Otherwise, it would beryllium successful usurpation of world law.”

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon responded to nan secretary-general’s missive to Netanyahu by saying, “Rather than condemning UNRWA for turning a unsighted oculus to coercion and successful immoderate cases participating successful terrorism, nan U.N. alternatively condemns Israel.”

He claimed successful a connection that UNRWA isn’t willing successful providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, calling it “nothing but an limb of Hamas operating nether nan guise of nan United Nations.”

“Israel will proceed to facilitate humanitarian assistance successful Gaza according to world law,” Danon said, “but UNRWA has grounded successful its instruction and is nary longer nan correct agency for this job.”

World Health Organization spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said UNRWA wellness workers person provided complete 6 cardinal aesculapian consultations complete nan past year. They besides person offered immunizations, illness surveillance and screening for malnutrition, and UNRWA’s activity “couldn’t beryllium matched by immoderate agency — including WHO,” he said.

Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for nan U.N. quality authorities office, said that “without UNRWA, nan transportation of food, shelter, wellness care, education, amongst different things, to astir of Gaza’s organization would grind to a halt.”

UNRWA was established by nan U.N. General Assembly successful 1949 to supply alleviation for Palestinians who fled aliases were expelled from their homes earlier and during nan 1948 Arab-Israeli warfare that followed Israel’s establishment, arsenic good arsenic their descendants.

At nan U.N.’s regular Security Council gathering connected nan Middle East — this period unfastened to each U.N. members — speakers supported UNRWA and denounced Israel’s wars against Hamas successful Gaza and Hezbollah successful Lebanon, virtually each calling for contiguous cease-fires.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield expressed heavy interest astatine nan Israeli legislation, saying, “right now location is nary replacement to UNRWA erstwhile it comes to delivering nutrient and different life-saving assistance successful Gaza.”

She called connected Guterres “to create a system to reappraisal and reside allegations that UNRWA unit person ties to Hamas and different violent groups.”

U.N. spokesperson Dujarric, asked astir this request, said nan U.N.’s soul watchdog is moving connected these issues. He said a missive from nan Israeli authorities past week raising circumstantial undisclosed issues is besides being looked astatine “extremely seriously.”

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller went further, informing that nan Israeli authorities “poses risks for millions of Palestinians who trust connected UNRWA for basal services.”

Miller reiterated that nan U.S. opposes nan authorities and will beryllium discussing it pinch Israel successful nan days ahead. He says location whitethorn beryllium consequences nether U.S. rule and argumentation if it takes effect, referencing a missive that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent to their Israeli counterparts saying humanitarian assistance must summation aliases the state risks losing subject assistance.

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Keaten reported from Geneva. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed from Washington.