United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the implementation of a law banning the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in Israel “could have devastating consequences for Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which is unacceptable,” Reuters reports.

“There is no alternative to UNRWA,” he said in a statement.

“The implementation of these laws would be detrimental for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for peace and security in the region as a whole. As I said before, UNRWA is indispensable.”

Guterres said he would bring the matter to the attention of the 193-member UN General Assembly.