Australia ‘opposes’ Israel’s UNRWA ban: Penny Wong

Australia is among a group of allied countries calling out Israel after it banned a key agency giving humanitarian support in Gaza.

Australia is among several allied countries calling on Israel to abandon legislation banning the United Nations’ (UN) main aid agency for Palestinian refugees.

Israel’s legislature passed two bills on Monday (local time), revoking a treaty agreed in 1967 to allow the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to operate in Israeli-controlled territories.

The legislation passed despite opposition from Israel’s Western allies, including Australia.

“Australia opposes the Israeli Knesset’s decision to severely restrict UNRWA’s work,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday, noting the organisation “does lifesaving work”.

“On Sunday, Australia joined Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the UK to urge Israel’s Knesset not to proceed with this legislation.

UNRWA does life-saving work.

Australia opposes the Israeli Knesset’s decision to severely restrict UNRWA’s work.

On Sunday, Australia joined Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the UK to urge Israel's Knesset not to proceed with this legislation.

— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) October 28, 2024

“Australia again calls on Israel to comply with the binding orders of the (International Court of Justice) to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale in Gaza.”

Assurances from some Israeli politicians that the ban would not affect UNRWA’s ability to operate in Gaza have done little to ease fears.

The only way in and out of Gaza is through Israeli territory, with the exception of a closed border crossing with Egypt.

Independent monitors have been warning for months of an increasingly dire situation in Gaza, where some two million Palestinians displaced by the raging war between Israel and Hamas face famine and rampant disease.

The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Australia’s peak body for humanitarian agencies, condemned the ban.

ACFID’s Naomi Brooks said UNRWA was “the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza”.

“It’s unfathomable to imagine how Palestinians, in Gaza in particular, will be responding to this news,” she said.

“They know the vital role of UNRWA in being one of their final lifelines.”

Federal minister Bill Shorten says war-torn Gaza must ‘get food and aid’. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“There’s a lot of Palestinian people who are not members of Hamas who are suffering,” Mr Shorten said.

“And we’ve got to make sure they’re getting food and aid.

“There are innocent civilians caught up in this, and they’ve got to get food and aid. There’s no way around that.”

UNRWA sparked controversy after Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel when a handful of staffers were accused of having ties to the Islamist militant group.

UNRWA has denied that it was representative of the organisation.

“I’m aware that some employees of UNRWA were connected to Hamas, but what you’ve got is hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, and they’re the ones who are suffering and they’re the ones who we’ve got to prioritise,” Mr Shorten said.

“The international community’s got to put to Israel that you’ve got to look after the civilians and try and help them. It’s not their fault.”

Meanwhile, Save the Children Australia said it was “gravely concerned”, with spokesman Aram Hosie saying Gaza “is the deadliest place on earth to be a child”.

“Palestinian children have been uprooted time and time again, denied access to the basics they need to survive,” he said.

“This latest announcement by the Knesset risks the complete collapse of any semblance of a humanitarian response in Gaza.”

Cabinet minister Bill Shorten also weighed in on Tuesday, telling the ABC “you’d have to ask Israel” why it was not heeding the calls from its allies.

Humanitarian aid bound for Gaza. Picture: Karim Jaafar / AFP

Workers unload bags of humanitarian aid. Picture: Said Khatib / AFP

Originally published as Australia ‘opposes’ Israel’s UNRWA ban: Penny Wong