CAIRO, 3rd February, 2025 (WAM) -- The Council of the Arab League has condemned Israel’s disregard for international calls to halt the enforcement of laws restricting the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In a statement issued today following an extraordinary meeting at the level of permanent representatives, convened at Jordan’s request and coordinated with Egypt and Palestine, the council stressed that Israel’s insistence on implementing these laws obstructs UNRWA’s vital work in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, leading to catastrophic consequences for Palestinian refugees.
The council reaffirmed that Israel, as an occupying power, has no sovereignty over East Jerusalem or the territories occupied since 1967 and is not entitled to take measures against UNRWA properties or alter the legal status of these territories under international law.
It emphasised that UNRWA, established by a UN resolution in 1949, is a lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees and warned that undermining its operations threatens regional stability and the two-state solution. The council denounced Israeli legislation targeting UNRWA as a blatant violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.
The council also cautioned that banning UNRWA’s operations would lead to a severe deterioration of humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where the agency provides food and healthcare to over 60 percent of the population.
The statement urged donor countries to fulfil their commitments to UNRWA, stressing the importance of the Joint Commitments Initiative, launched by Kuwait, Jordan, and Slovenia in May 2024.
Reaffirming full support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, the Arab League Council rejected any attempts to alter the demographic or geographic reality of Palestinian territories. It also requested the General Secretariat of the Arab League to circulate the statement to diplomatic missions and international institutions to take urgent action in protecting UNRWA’s operations.