Call From Jewish Groups Across The Globe: Tell Your Political Representatives Now- UNRWA Is Urgent

On January 30, two new Israeli laws will effectively ban UNRWA’s (the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) lifesaving operations in Gaza and the West Bank. Although the threat to UNRWA has slipped from the headlines, it is urgent right now and for the longer term.

Immediately, as the Foreign Secretaries of seven countries have expressed in a joint statement, UNRWA is essential to Israel’s “responsibility to facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in all its forms as well as the provision of sorely needed basic services to the civilian population.” If UNRWA cannot operate, Gaza’s catastrophe will be made exponentially worse.

Less visibly, Israel’s legislative attack on UNRWA also aims to undermine the integrity and continuity of the Palestine refugee community. UNRWA is the only agency mandated to serve Palestine refugees as a single national community, dispersed to multiple locations. UNRWA creates and holds records essential to refugees’ ability to claim their rights.

That unifying recognition would be lost if humanitarian assistance were fragmented into hundreds of local NGO budget lines. NGOs’ humanitarian response would de-politicise the problem and its solution. Food is desperately needed, but Palestinians have a right to more than food: they have a right to be free and self-determining. UNRWA’s mandate is to serve Palestinians until a political solution is found.

That is why Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA has said, “UNRWA can be replaced only through a functioning Palestinian state which would address the plight of Palestine refugees.” In diplomacy and donorship, our states must relate to Palestine as a fellow national actor, not merely to Palestinians as a collection of humanitarian recipients.

The long assault on UNRWA will come to a head this month. The UN is (properly) not backing down, stating on January 4 that “the United Nations does not plan to replace the agency in the Palestinian territories, and the Knesset must reverse its decision to ban it.”

UNRWA perseveres despite the greatest loss of staff members and physical infrastructure in the history of the United Nations: 237 staff. We urge everyone to make UNRWA a priority this month. We urge groups and individuals to write to their political representatives with two messages.

1. Pressure Israel to live up to its legal commitments by facilitating UNRWA’s work.

2. Palestine’s political demands will not be met by humanitarian NGOs. Diplomatically and as donors, call on governments to preserve UNRWA’s mandate until a genuine political solution is in place.

Statement from Global Jews for Palestine

About Global Jews for Palestine: We are Jews from many countries, who are members of local, national and international networks and organizations. We are multi-ethnic and multigenerational and our members embrace a broad range of viewpoints on Jewish religious and ethical traditions. We are connected by our involvement in the struggle for Palestinian rights, and by our determination to work for justice. We oppose Zionism and all forms of racism and colonialism.

Additional information for drafting letters to political representatives:

UNRWA Sitrep and other reports:

Since October 7th 2023, UNRWA health teams have provided millions of consultations vaccinated 560,000 children against polio, provided food assistance to almost 2 million people and provided shelter to hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

• 388,000 families have received flour at least twice.
• 1.46 million have received UNRWA food parcels
• 97 mobile medical teams have covered medical points
• 196,245 displaced people have received community social work support including psychological first aid and psychological support.
• 129,475 displaced people have received internal community social network support.
• 7.753 people with disabilities or injuries have received assistive devices and rehabilitation
• The allegations of large numbers of Hamas operatives being UNWRA workers have come with little evidence to the International community

UNRWA: Claims Versus Facts | UNRWA
https://www.unrwa.org/unrwa-claims-versus-facts-february-2024

More ideas to support UNRWA, from Jewish Voice for Labour
https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/tell-your-politicians-israe
l-must-not-ban-unrwa/

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