STATEMENT OF THE BUREAU OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
UN Palestinian Rights Committee Bureau welcomes Gaza ceasefire, demands full implementation and move towards a solution of the conflict, and condemns Israel’s UNRWA ban perpetuating Palestinian suffering
New York, 31 January 2025 – The Bureau of the UN Palestinian Rights Committee welcomes the Gaza ceasefire as a crucial step in halting the Israeli military operations on the Palestinian civilian population since October 2023 and stemming the vast human suffering and loss of life. As hundreds of thousands return to devastated homes, urgent and sustained humanitarian aid is essential to all civilians in need in Gaza. The Bureau underscores the irreplaceable role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in delivering lifesaving assistance and stabilizing the ceasefire.
The Committee Bureau strongly condemns Israel’s adoption of legislation banning UNRWA and stripping it of its privileges and immunities, obstructing its operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, in direct violation of the General Assembly mandate and resolution ES-10/25 recently adopted by the General Assembly by overwhelming majority. The Bureau calls on Israel, the occupying power, to immediately suspend and reverse the implementation of this legislation that curtails UNRWA’s vital operations and will negatively impact delivery of essential services and assistance, including education and healthcare, to the Palestine refugees.
Coming immediately after the Gaza ceasefire deal, Israel’s ban on UNRWA is a blatant move that will exacerbate Palestinian suffering – not with airstrikes and bombs, but with deprivation, hunger, and disease. As affirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion of July 2024, Israel, due to its status as an occupying power, has no sovereignty in any part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, where the UNRWA headquarters is located. The UNRWA ban is as unlawful as the Israeli occupation itself, which must end, as determined by the ICJ and consecutive General Assembly resolution ES-10/24 of September 2024. This unprecedented attack on a UN-mandated agency deepens the suffering of millions of Palestine refugees, for whom UNRWA is a lifeline for survival. The Agency’s operations are essential in all fields of operation, including to alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, restoring basic services and sustaining the ceasefire and cannot be replaced.
Israel’s actions violate the United Nations Charter, the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, its obligations as the occupying Power under the Fourth Geneva Convention and multiple General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. Such ongoing Israeli policies and measures will cripple humanitarian efforts, hinder Gaza’s recovery, and destabilize the ceasefire, jeopardizing regional stability. Israel must immediately cease all attacks on UNRWA and its humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and cease all violations of international law and the human rights of the Palestinian people.
The Committee Bureau urgently appeals to the General Assembly, the Security Council, and all Member States to categorically reject Israel’s unlawful legislation, demand its immediate repeal, and insist that Israel uphold UNRWA’s mandate. The Bureau urges prompt ICJ action, as requested by the General Assembly on 19 December 2024, to urgently deliver an Advisory Opinion on the obligations of Israel in relation to the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organizations and third States to uphold the rule of law and obligations thereunder and to avert further Palestinian suffering. The Committee Bureau reaffirms its support for the ceasefire agreement and calls for its full respect and implementation, leading to a lasting cessation of hostilities and a just, enduring peace, based on international law and the relevant UN resolutions and achieving the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the two-State solution on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.
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