Welcome
The Federal Foreign Office on the adoption of legislation against UNRWA
A Federal Foreign Office Spokesperson issued the following statement today (29 October 2024) on the adoption of two laws against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Israeli Knesset:
The Federal Foreign Office is deeply concerned about the adoption yesterday of two laws against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Israeli Knesset.
UNRWA provides vital and life-saving humanitarian assistance and basic support for Palestine refugees in Gaza, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the entire region. Without UNRWA’s work, essential humanitarian assistance provided in Gaza would be on the brink of collapse.
As it is, 2.2 million people in Gaza are facing a dramatic state of emergency, with 86 percent of the population suffering from acute malnutrition. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the schooling of almost 50,000 people would be jeopardised, and in Gaza hundreds of thousands of children would no longer have any hope of receiving an education. Healthcare for tens of thousands of people would also be under threat.
The Israeli Government must now ensure that UNRWA can continue to fulfil the mandate of the UN General Assembly. To do so, UNRWA must in the future still be in a position to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance and access to education and healthcare to the Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinians, like the people in Israel, have a right to live in security and dignity in a state of their own.
Background information:
The two laws adopted by the Israeli Knesset on 28 October 2024 aim to revoke the privileges and immunities of UNRWA, forbid any contact between Israeli state entities, officials and UNRWA, and prohibit any UNRWA presence within Israel. The German Government’s support for UNRWA is provided under the proviso that UNRWA implements the concrete recommendations of the Colonna report within the organisation. UNRWA has submitted an action plan in which the implementation of these measures is reinforced by concrete steps and deadlines. The German Government will continue to call for the implementation of this action plan and closely monitor and support it in consultation with other donors.
The foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on the expected decision by the Knesset on 27 October 2024.