Condemning the Israeli Parliament’s Vote to Ban UNRWA from Operating in Israel

That the Parliament notes with deep concern the Israeli Knesset's vote banning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from operating within Israel, and understands that the immediate consequence of this vote is that contact between UNRWA and Israeli officials will be outlawed, leading to closure of the relief agency’s premises within the occupied territories; considers that UNRWA is a relief agency that is in a unique position to provide the Palestinian people with humanitarian aid; understands that it is the only relief agency that possesses the records of refugees in the region from 1948 and 1967 and that these records verify refugee status and where these people reside; believes that the agency is vital for tracking the refugee population and ensuring that their essential needs are met; understands that UNRWA maintains active files of about 5.9 million Palestinian refugees and 685,000 other persons of concern, and that no other agency possesses this dataset, and considers, therefore, that there is no organisation that can come in and effectively replace UNRWA; believes that the decision to ban UNRWA will cripple the agency’s ability to provide the Palestinian people with lifesaving humanitarian aid; understands that almost all of Gaza’s 2.2 million people have relied on lifesaving aid from UNRWA, and that, since the war began, the agency has distributed 1.9 million food parcels to the people of Gaza; believes that this decision shows not only contempt for the Palestinian people, but also for the United Nations; considers that it is a clear violation of Israel’s obligations under international law as an occupying power in the region; observes that countries including Belgium, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, Ireland, and Spain have all reportedly expressed concern at Israel’s decision; calls on the international community to act immediately to help to overturn the decision, and further calls for all countries and nation states to cease all arms sales to Israel until such time as it is considered to be complying with its obligations under international law.