NOT content with the war of extermination it is executing against the Palestinian people, Israel now wants to ensure that no relief reaches the devastated population of the occupied territories. The Israeli parliament on Monday passed legislation that, if put into effect, would label the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees a ‘terror’ group and effectively put a halt to its activities in occupied Palestine. It should be noted that, for decades, UNRWA has served as an essential humanitarian lifeline to millions of vulnerable Palestinians. So outrageous is the Israeli plan to outlaw the UN agency that even some of the Zionist state’s staunchest supporters — such as the US and UK — have cautioned Tel Aviv against going ahead with it. Israel accuses UNRWA employees of taking part in the Oct 7 attacks last year, though no credible evidence of this has emerged. It is safe to assume that accusing UN staffers of armed activity is simply a ruse to stop humanitarian aid from getting to the Palestinians, and ensuring they starve to death or die of disease, in case they have managed to survive the blood-drenched Israeli pogrom in Gaza.

Israel’s leaders — for decades — have treated the UN and the international community with contempt. Only recently, Tel Aviv’s foreign minister declared UN Secretary General António Guterres “persona non grata”, barring him from entering Israel. The minister used highly offensive language against Mr Guterres, terming him a “stain on the history of the UN”. Over in Lebanon, Israeli forces have fired at positions manned by UN peacekeepers, injuring a number of Blue Helmets in one incident. All these examples clearly illustrate the fact that Israel is a rogue state, not bound by any law or moral imperative. If Tel Aviv’s Western allies are serious about having the UNRWA ban reversed, they must do more than express ‘concern’ over the heinous decision to halt relief work in the occupied territories. The problem is that when it comes to Israel, many powerful states display hypocritical behaviour; shedding crocodile tears over the butchery of Palestinians, yet ensuring that Israel has the ‘right’ to carry on with this slaughter in the name of self-defence by arming and funding it. The rules that all states in the comity of nations are expected to follow must also be applied to Israel, and the ban on UNRWA must be reversed.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2024