Spain rejects Israel’s UNRWA ban, says it puts ceasefire deal in danger

The Spanish government said, on Thursday, that it rejects the Israeli ban on the UN Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), and called on Tel Aviv to suspend its application, Anadolu Agency reports.

The ban, which took effect Thursday, prohibits UNRWA activity on what Israel’s Supreme Court calls “the sovereign territory of the state of Israel”. That does not include Gaza and the West Bank but does apply to Occupied East Jerusalem.

UNRWA’s international staff at the East Jerusalem office has already evacuated, according to the UN.

The Israeli law also bans contact between UNRWA staff and Israeli authorities. It is unclear how that could affect operations throughout the Palestinian Territories.

“Spain expresses its deepest concern about the impact that this decision will have on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, putting at risk the ceasefire,” said a statement issued by Spain’s Foreign Ministry.

Around midday Thursday, UNRWA posted to X, saying it continues to deliver assistance to the communities it serves and that its clinics continue to operate across the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

READ: As Israeli ban looms, Swiss-American analyst urges resumed funding for UNRWA

In East Jerusalem, UNRWA offers health care to around 70,000 Palestinian refugees as well as education for around 1,000 students.

The UN Agency added that it had not received any official communication on how the Israeli parliament’s bills banning UNRWA will be implemented.

However, it did warn that the Israeli ban “threatens life-saving aid, education and health care.”

In its statement, Spain called UNRWA “essential” and “irreplaceable”, emphasizing the essential services it offers to 6 million Palestinian refugees.

Madrid “fully supports” the Agency’s work and has recently announced it is increasing its financial aid to the organisation.

Last year, Israel accused UNRWA staff of participating in the 7 October terrorist attacks. However, an investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services was unable to authenticate any of the Israeli information used to support the allegations.

Israel has repeatedly equated UNRWA staff with Hamas members in efforts to discredit them, providing no proof of the claims, while lobbying 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.

While the accusations caused many Western nations to pause funding to the UN agency, Spain reacted by boosting its aid to the organisation.

UNRWA chief: Israel’s ban will be ‘disastrous’