Israel has declared UNRWA a terrorist organisation

[username1478]

Israel has banned the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in the country - a move which could hamper its work in Gaza.

UNRWA's chief Philippe Lazzarini has warned the ban "will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza".

The new laws passed in the Knesset on Monday banned the agency from having any ties to Israeli officials and stripped its staff of their legal immunities.

The Israeli parliament also declared the group a terror organisation.
https://news.sky.com/story/unrwa-banned-from-operating-in-israel-as-agency-head-warns-move-will-deepen-the-suffering-of-palestinians-13243695

Seems like the final phase of the genocide is being forced through. If the UN are hampered there's no way of substantially delivering essential aid. If the organisation is accused of being terrorist then there's no protection against the IDF.

You are seriously worried about the Gazans?

None of that can be fact checked because Israel does not let anybody in.

UNRWA was the best hope of survival for innocent people. Israel wants those people to die. So they look to take it away.

For people reading who may not know much about it and who have seen some of the accusations here...

There were concerns that a very small number of employees took part in Hamas activities and may have been members. These concerns led to investigations and termination of employment. There was no evidence of widespread involvement or affiliation. In any large organisation, there are going to be some people employed who do horrible things, despite organisation's efforts to prevent this - look at the police, NHS, etc. - it doesn't mean an entire organisation took part or supported something. Individuals employed in a number of roles by UNRWA had to pass vetting by Israel as well, so if there was a failure of security checking, this was not solely an issue with UNRWA.

Sinwar is reported to have been in possession of a UNRWA employee's ID card at the time of his death. The man to whom it belonged had managed to escape Gaza quite some time ago and has confirmed that he is living elsewhere in the world - he was not in Gaza. There is no evidence of how Sinwar came into possession of the ID card or even whether it was genuine.

There are many criticisms that can be raised against many organisations, and UNRWA is not perfect. What it was, though, was an essential route for delivering life-saving aid to innocent people in Gaza.

It isn't being banned because people in power suddenly care about organisational efficiency, vetting, finances, etc. It isn't being banned because of concerns about a small number of employees having been reported to have committed horrible acts. It's being banned because the people able to do so want Palestinians to die, and this helps achieve that.

Israel leaves no stone unturned when it comes to isolating themselves with their extremism from the rest of the free world.

Some reactions from some pissed off allies. Let's hope they now realise its time to stop arming Israel!

The US State Department said Unrwa played a "critical" role in distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, and that "there is nobody that can replace them right now in the middle of the crisis".
UK PM Keir Starmer said he was "gravely concerned", and that the law risks making Unrwa's "essential work for Palestinians impossible, jeopardising the entire international humanitarian response in Gaza".
Germany’s commissioner for human rights policy and humanitarian assistance, Luise Amtsberg, warned the move would "effectively make Unrwa's work in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem impossible... jeopardising vital humanitarian aid for millions of people".
Belgium said it “deeply regrets” the new legislation.
The governments of Slovenia, Ireland, Spain, and Norway released a joint statement condemning Israel’s ban and warned that it set a “very serious” precedent for the work of the UN and all organisations of the multilateral system.

They prove time and time again that they are a rogue state.

And yet they are still not Sanctioned! What the hell is it going to take for the world to start imposing sanctions on these people!!!!

It's beyond disgraceful.

I feel quite depressed today. My heart sinks when I think of all the people suffering in Northern Gaza.

I’m not sure what Isreal hopes this will achieve. Most of the world don’t want Israel to remain in, or in control of Gaza, so long term, they cannot control the aid.

You could potentially dismantle UNWRA and replace it with something else, which in reality would be pretty much the same thing, with many of the same people (the vast majority who aren’t terrorists!), but with a different name.

It would be a symbolic gesture of nothingness, and given the damage Israel has done in Gaza, they will be at a heightened risk of revenge attacks anyway.

Better to work on a peaceful solution that values the lives of everyone, instead of trying to control everything.

I feel like Netanyahu is having a party while he can. It’s not my idea of fun. I don’t think much (if anything) will happen until after the US election.

This, when are people going to wake up and stop defending their actions

Clearly there is no line for some people. They will excuse anything Israel does. Even if that includes genocide.

Bbc
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says Unrwa's work in Gaza is essential and irreplaceable.
"Unrwa is absolutely essential to the people of Gaza, and I don't want to leave anyone with the misimpression that IOM can play that role, because we cannot," Amy Pope, the head of the IOM told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday. She stressed there was "no way" it could replace Unrwa.
But, she says, the IOM "can provide support to those people who are currently in crisis", saying that her agency was keen to step up their role in the region.
As a reminder, Unrwa has been providing aid to Palestinian refugees since 1949 and is the biggest organisation working on the ground in Gaza.

And in addition this is really not the time to be evaluating it's value and effectiveness while it is the main lifeline for millions of vulnerable and displaced Palestinians.

Exactly right.

It is a complete and utter distraction.

I also think Lebanon and Iran are distractions.

They want Gaza.

That's it, in a nutshell @gloriagloria and @andIsaid .

First they took most of Palestine, then - slowly but surely - they took the West Bank. Now it's the turn of Gaza. Mission accomplished.

Shame on our PM supporting Israel

There was an interesting thread here the other day about UNWRA and their dodgy dealings, worth a search for those who did not see it.

Iran supports Hamas and Hezbollah, who have both been chucking rockets at Israel this whole time. Hezbollah started their current rocket campaign from Lebanon the on October 8th, 2023.

@Oodiks

Most of the world was on the side of Isreal after the utter barbarism and horror of the Hamas attack on civilians. That seems to have changed to most of the world being revolted by its vicious response and continuing reign of terror over the people of Gaza.

Whit their targeted, smart, successful campaign against Hezbollah via the pagers, it showed what Israelis are capable of when they want.

In other words, they proved that they do not have to take down an entire population of innocent humans to get the top guys, if they don't want to.

The savage annihilation of the men, women and children of Gaza became all the more stark after that.

Now, compounding that, by using starvation as a weapon of war, it seems clear that Israel does not want a successful, targeted end.

Israel has become, for me, morally bankrupt.

It is profoundly sad for me.

Their army is radicalized and contains terrorists or terrorist supporters as does their Govt and Police.

So all in all any criticism of UNRWA is a bit rich coming from them.

Isn't Ben Gvir literally a convicted terrorist? And there's the late Shuva'el Ben Natan, who was a settler that terrorised Palestinians and murdered at least one of them. He killed Bilal Salah while he was picking olives on his farm. His actions in Gaza and Lebanon, like burning down houses, was lionised in his eulogy. So any accusations they UNRWA have against UNRWA is pure projection on their part.

x.com/TaoufiqTahani/status/1718522590170337482

https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1849852001162780840

Israel like to play the uno reverse card.

Like I pointed out on another thread it's a bit mad people talking about Gaza not developing their infrastructure because they have been so intent on destroying Israel when Israel are actually the ones who have repeatedly been destroying Palestinian infrastructure and have actually literally said that their goal is to 'eliminate everything' and to have a new Nakba.

UNRWA has antisemitic text books well pot meet kettle. Except Israel have their hands out expecting support whilst giving this as a reason that Unrwa needs to be shut down.

The constant claims that Palestinians need to be deradicalised whilst ignoring Israeli radicalisation like the fact that the IDF protect Israeli youth who parade down the streets dancing and chanting 'Death to Arabs'.

Palestinians don't want Israel to exist whilst Israel are actually stopping Palestine from existing.

Talking about Palestinian terrorist attacks whilst ignoring settler violence which before Oct 7 was at a rate of 3 incidences per day.

It's such bizarre double standards, I don't know if people actually realise what they are doing or if they just don't care?

You understand that Arab nationalism only started in response to Zionism? That before Jews wanted Israel to exist, there was no movement for Palestinian self determination?

As your lot are keen to reference, Muslims and Jews lived together in what is now divided between Israel and Palestinian Territories. The international community decided boundaries between the nascent countries and the new Israel agreed, but the surrounding Arab nations did not and have not and will not.

So, what’s the solution?

"What's the solution?"

Well, it certainly isn't 'settler' terrorism, youth branches of military organisations chanting "Death to Arabs" in the street, "May your village burn" (followed up by actual burning of villages), occupation, annexation, forced displacement, intentional violation of international law, abduction, torture (including sexual and medical torture), preventing the distribution of aid, attacking people at vaccination sites (which were known and agreed), luring people into kill zones and then shooting them, "Daddy's home", hospital attacks, or marketing"Nakba 2024". Etc.

A solution here might have been to work within international law, negotiate a ceasefire to return innocent people to their homes, end occupation, work to establish a safe 2-state solution, undertake to de-radicalise extremists on both sides of the conflict, and commit to reparations and legal justice for the victims of both Israeli occupation and Hamas's (and other terrorist groups') terrorist attacks.

And who is "your lot" referring to?