Palestine: UNRWA’s mandate

*Foreign Affairs and Expatriates// The Israeli Knesset’s decision to classify UNRWA as a “terrorist” organization is a premeditated hostility to liquidate the Palestinian refugee issue, and a violation of Security Council Resolution 2730 (2024)*

*Emphasizes the continuation of its political, diplomatic, and legal efforts to ensure the implementation of UNRWA’s mandate as effectively as possible by international legitimacy resolutions*

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine considers that the Israeli Knesset’s approval, today, Monday, in the first reading, of a draft law classifying UNRWA as a “terrorist organization” as a deliberate hostility to liquidating the issue of Palestinian refugees and their inherent right to return, by United Nations resolutions, and comes within the framework of a systematic campaign of incitement.  practiced by Israel, the occupying power, which emerged during the genocidal war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, whether through public statements or by targeting UNRWA, its officials, headquarters, institutions, capabilities, and cadres, as happened yesterday when the occupation forces targeted a UN aid convoy that was heading to the Gaza Strip.

It also confirms that it is a clear violation of Security Council Resolution No. 2730, adopted on May 24, 2024, which obligates states to respect and protect United Nations institutions and workers in the humanitarian field, which applies to UNRWA, its institutions, and its workers.

The Ministry also reaffirms the continuation of its political, diplomatic, and legal efforts to ensure that UNRWA’s mandate is implemented as effectively as possible by the relevant General Assembly resolutions, including resolutions 194 (III) and 302 (IV) and all other resolutions, and calls for intensifying international efforts aimed at preserving  The mandate of UNRWA and ensuring its continuity until the rights of Palestine refugees are implemented and a just solution is found, per international law and United Nations resolutions, especially Resolution 194 and the right of refugees to return to their homes from which they were displaced.

The Ministry referred to the decision of the International Court of Justice and its legal opinion that affirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, which is part of UNRWA’s areas of operations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the international community to join the Palestinian position rejecting the Knesset’s decision as an additional tool to consolidate the occupation and persecution against  The Palestinian people and also demanded a boycott and imposition of sanctions on everyone who voted in favor of their unjust decision.

Source: Embassy of Palestine, Islamabad.