Australia is urging Israel to reconsider its recent banning of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), saying its “life saving work” needs to continue, and accused it of ignoring the International Court of Justice.
The vote in the Israeli Parliament passed 92-10 and followed a passionate debate between supporters of the law and its opponents, mostly members of Arab political parties.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong issued a joint statement with her counterparts from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the UK deploring the Knesset’s ban on UNRWA operating on Israeli soil after deeming it a terrorist organisation.
The aid agency is the main provider of humanitarian relief to civilians in Gaza following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Hundreds of its staff have been killed in Israeli strikes, making the current war the deadliest conflict for U.N. workers.
“Without its work, the provision of such assistance and services, including education, health care, and fuel distribution in Gaza and the West Bank would be severely hampered if not impossible,” the joint statement said.
‘Life-Saving Work’: Wong
Wong also took to social media site X to urge that assistance be allowed to continue in the region.
“UNRWA does life-saving work. Australia opposes the Israeli Knesset’s decision to severely restrict UNRWA’s work,” she said.
“Australia again calls on Israel to comply with the binding orders of the International Court of Justice to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale in Gaza.”
According to the local health authority, more than 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s offensive, and thousands more remain buried under rubble or missing.
The offensive came after Hamas led an attack on Israel in October 2023, which killed 1,200 people and saw 250 taken as hostages.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said aid still needed to be given to people displaced in Gaza.
“There’s a lot of Palestinian people who are not members of Hamas who are suffering, and we’ve got to make sure they’re getting food and aid,” he told ABC TV.
“You’ve got hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, and they’re the ones who are suffering and they’re the ones who we’ve got to prioritise.
“The international community has got to put to Israel that you look after the civilians, you’ve got to try and help them. It’s not their fault.”
The United States joined international critics of Israel’s decision. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States “had made quite clear to the government of Israel that we are deeply concerned by this.”
Vice-President of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said the ban “would de facto render UNRWA’s vital operations in Gaza impossible and seriously hamper its provision of services in the West Bank.”
In a post on X, he said the legislation stands “in stark contradiction to international law and the fundamental principle of humanity.”
The law, which will not take effect immediately, comes as Israel is under increasing pressure to allow aid supplies to enter Gaza.
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini also took to X to say the ban set “a dangerous precedent” and would “only deepen the suffering of Palestinians,” calling it “the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA.”
UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma told AFP that it was “outrageous that a member state of the United Nations is working to dismantle a U.N. agency which also happens to be the largest responder in the humanitarian operation in Gaza.”
The agency has provided aid and assistance across Palestinian territory, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, for more than seven decades.
Israel has alleged that some of UNRWA’s staff participated in the Oct. 7 attack, that hundreds of its workers have ties to Hamas, and that the Israeli army has found Hamas assets near or under UNRWA facilities.
UNRWA denies knowingly aiding militant groups and says it acts quickly to remove any suspected fighters from its ranks.
