'No-contact policy' under looming Israeli ban on UNRWA 'makes no sense': UN

The UN humanitarian office today criticised Israel’s impending ban on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and urged a reversal of provisions that would force the agency to vacate all premises in the occupied East Jerusalem and cease operations by Thursday, leading a loss of contact between the main aid deliverer in Gaza and Israel.

“As we have said since this was first discussed in the political realm of this conflict, this does not make any sense,” spokesperson Jens Laerke said.

“And I recall when they were first introduced, we urged, as a UN system, to reconsider these provisions,” Laerke said, and reiterated: “It does not make sense to us.”

Laerke reaffirmed the UN’s full support for the UNRWA and its Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, amid mounting concerns about the ban’s impact on humanitarian operations.

“We stand fully behind UNRWA and what they are doing and what Mr. Lazzarini’s messaging about,” he said, referring to Lazzarini’s remarks that the agency will stay and deliver as much as it can amid risks against the safe movement in Gaza due to “no-contact policy” with Israel.

Calling the UN agency for Palestinian refugees the “backbone” of humanitarian efforts in the region, Laerke emphasised the agency’s essential role.

READ: UNRWA ban could cripple already worsening conditions in Occupied Palestinian Territories: Report

He also stressed the agency’s capacity of thousands of staff which continued to deliver logistics, health and education services for over 15 months during genocide in Gaza.

The ban has raised alarms about disruptions to critical aid for millions of Palestinian refugees. UN officials have repeatedly warned that such measures could exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis.

UNRWA, which has operated since 1949, provides essential services such as education and healthcare to Palestinian refugees across the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Despite political and financial challenges, the agency has remained a lifeline for vulnerable communities.

“Our position remains the same. UNRWA is an indispensable part of the operation, and they need to remain,” Laerke said, stressing the need for Israel to reverse its decision.

The Israeli government has yet to respond to calls from the UN and the international community to reconsider the provisions, which are expected to deepen tensions and disrupt critical humanitarian operations in the region.

Israel has lobbied hard to have UNRWA closed as it is the only UN agency to have a specific mandate to look after the basic needs of Palestinian refugees. If the agency no longer exists, argues Israel, then the refugee issue must no longer exist, and the legitimate right for Palestinian refugees to return to their land will be unnecessary. Israel has denied that right of return since the late 1940s, even though its own membership of the UN was made conditional upon Palestinian refugees being allowed to return to their homes and land.

Israel bans UNRWA’s operations – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]