On the law forbidding UNRWA’s activities in support of Palestinian refugees

31/10/2024

We are an entity concerned about people's and nation's dignity, respect and defense of their unalienable rights and the ethical and moral duty of preserving them, as a society and as Church. We report their outrages by demanding respect and reparation policies. Therefore, we state our deep concern for the approval of the two laws, on Monday 28 October, by the Israeli Parliament to forbid UNRWA activities. This concern has also been stated by a lot of humanitarian agencies, which we join, as an attack on International Law, when this organization and the help it provides has never been as necessary and urgent as nowadays.

The humanitarian and political consequences are far-reaching stated, leaving in a complete defenselessness and the abandonment to the Palestinian nation in any of the territories and refugee camps of this long-suffering nation, it could be either West Bank, Gaza or Lebanon, with consequences in Jordan and Syria. As the leader of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, lamented "These projects increase the suffering of Palestinians, and they are nothing but a collective punishment".

If on the second of October, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated that "It is time to stop this injurious cycle of escalation after escalation that is leading the Middle East nations to the ruin", one month after the reality in this region obtains new drama features of a war which it is known to be defeat from the beginning because "war does not forgive" and it just benefits economic, financial and domination interests of the arms industry and of the multinationals of reconstruction.

All the limits of International Law have been overstepped day after day, and it makes the rest of humanity to feel helpless in the face of a reality that we experience directly, but to which we do not want to get used to. We do not want vaccines, nor anesthetic for the outrages, the pain and death of so many people.

The dialogue, the exercise of diplomacy among States and governments, and multilateralism are death hurt, and they are experiencing their lowest points in the humanity history in the last centuries.

The respect, the defense of human dignity and the conservation not just of infrastructures, culture, traditions, territory, environment, but also of the rights "of the whole person and every people", is like them to have been prescribed in the face of the war and politics of power imposition monster of some states over others, of some nations over others.

It is necessary to have a ceasefire in the Middle East, ending a world with 35 reported wars by international organisms and to move towards a world of peace and siblinghood, dialogue and respect for life.

Therefore, we appeal people with global, politic, social, and religious leadership skills to:

Demand the withdraw and the revocation of these laws of the Israeli State by using all diplomatic means, at the same time of requiring a ceasefire and of recovering the way to make the international agreements legal to reach a coexistence based on peace and respect.
Recognize, recover and reinforce the authority of the United Nations as a dialogue and peace guarantee among countries.

Likewise, we appeal to civil society not to lower one's guard in the face of these outrages and to work for peace from the smallest to the biggest action, with critical spirit.

These laws against UNRWA, in addition to indiscriminate and unjustified warlike actions against the civilian population of the Palestinian nation and the infrastructures of Gaza, the West Bank and now Lebanon, go against the resolution of the International Court of Justice, as stated in March 2024: "In accordance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention, and in light of the deterioration of life conditions faced by Palestinians in Gaza, especially the spreading of famine and hunger, Israel should: Take all the necessary and effective measures to guarantee, without delay, full cooperation with the United Nations, the supply without obstacles on a large scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance". According to human rights groups, ceasing the UNRWA services is a part of the illegal siege from Israel authorities in Gaza Strip, which is equal to war crimes of collective punishment and the use of starvation as a war weapon.

We do our the last "Urgent global appeal: Defend UNRWA from Israeli ban and prevent catastrophic consequences for Palestinians" of 26 October 2024, signed by social entities: "This is not a time for silence—it is a call to action. The global community must intervene now before more Palestinians are killed. The people of Gaza cannot endure further delays. Immediate, decisive action is needed to safeguard their rights, uphold their dignity, and enforce the recent International Court of Justice advisory opinion, which ruled Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as unlawful. The future of millions of Palestinians is at stake, and the world must act without hesitation".

Spanish Commission for Justice and Peace