Israel’s attacks on the United Nations must be stopped: Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)

The Israeli Knesset is currently adopting two far-reaching laws that seek to block the UN aid agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) from operating in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Such laws, if both are passed and fully implemented, will have a devastating impact on Palestinians already facing genocide. CJPME believes that this attempt to dismantle a critical UN humanitarian institution amounts to an appalling violation of the UN Charter and should serve as grounds for Israel’s expulsion from the UN

“Israel’s existential attack on this UN agency for refugees not only poses an immediate threat to the lives of Palestinians facing genocide, but also represents an attack on the inalienable right of refugees to return to the homes they were expelled from during the Nakba,” said Michael Bueckert, Vice President of CJPME. “Israel cannot continue to be treated as a full member of the UN as it seeks to shut down its humanitarian operations and slaughters its aid workers. Canada must support efforts to expel Israel from the UN General Assembly, as requested by Palestinian civil society.”

The Israeli bills being adopted today propose a series of measures designed to dismantle UNRWA, including: prohibiting Israeli authorities from having any contact with UNRWA; instructing Israel to shut down the UNRWA headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem; preventing UNRWA staff from receiving work visas or coordinating the entry of aid into Gaza; cutting off UNRWA’s access to banks (jeopardizing the transfer of funds and payment of salaries); and revoking the privileges and immunities granted to UNRWA staff and facilities. An earlier version of the legislation would also have designated UNRWA a terrorist organization, but this clause was removed. As explained by Israeli human rights group Adalah, these measures violate Israel’s obligations under the UN Charter, breach the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice, and may amount to acts of genocide. Although the Canadian government has spoken out against the legislation in a joint statement, its mild diplomatic efforts have failed to protect UNRWA from Israel’s campaign to destroy the institution.

CJPME notes that the latest attack on UNRWA is part of a hostile campaign that Israel has been ceaselessly waging against the United Nations for over a year. Israel has killed 230 UNRWA aid workers in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the highest number killed in any conflict, and has destroyed countless UNRWA schools, facilities, and convoys in direct attacks. In Southern Lebanon, Israel has been repeatedly and directly targeting UN peacekeepers, including through the use of white phosphorous. In response to these violations, CJPME echoes calls from Palestinian civil society and legal experts for Israel to be expelled from the UN General Assembly, following the historical precedent of the UN’s vote in 1974 to reject the credentials of the apartheid government of South Africa.