Israel ban on UN’s Palestinian UNRWA aid agency condemned

Labor and the Greens have lashed a new Israeli ban on the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, accusing the Jewish state of undermining support for innocent civilians in Gaza.

A Palestinian boy holds a sack of flour at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency aid distribution centre in Gaza. Picture: AFP

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Labor and the Greens have lashed a new Israeli ban on the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, accusing the Jewish state of undermining support for innocent civilians amid Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

Jewish groups backed the move against the “tainted” UN agency, as the Coalition declared it was a “matter for Israel’s parliament” and reiterated its call for Australian taxpayers’ support to be diverted to other aid providers.

Israel’s parliament passed new laws on Monday designating the UN Relief and Works Agency as a terror organisation and banning it from operating in the country, following revelations some of its staff were involved in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 terrorist attack.

Penny Wong said the new laws would “severely restrict” UNRWA’s operations as conditions in Gaza rapidly deteriorated.

“UNRWA does lifesaving work,” the Foreign Minister said.

“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.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the country’s parliament on Monday, when it passed new laws banning the UN’s Palestinian aid agency. Picture: AFP

Her comments came after Australia, the UK and other like-minded nations, including Japan and Germany, urged Israel to rethink its legislation. A UN probe revealed in August that nine UNRWA employees were believed to have been involved in the October 7 attacks on Israel.

Australia had suspended funding for the organisation but restored it before the UN’s official report in August.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said: “It is a matter for Israel’s parliament to decide its own laws, just as the US passed legislation banning US taxpayer funding going to UNRWA, following the shocking revelations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October terrorist attacks on Israel.”

But Senator Birmingham said Australian taxpayers’ money should be provided to “trusted humanitarian organisations” to prevent it falling into terrorists’ hands. “We recognise the needs of innocent civilians in Gaza are great, support increased humanitarian aid reaching civilians, and urge Israel to ensure the free flow of aid to innocent civilians, especially in light of these decisions.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim said it was understandable Israel wanted to work with alternative aid agencies “rather than an organisation like UNRWA, which has been tainted by the association of a number of its personnel with Hamas”.

He said there were also questions over the diversion of supplies provided by UNRWA, including concrete, electrical wiring and pipes, to the construction of Hamas’s vast network of tunnels beneath Gaza.

Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi said Israel had sunk to “new levels of depravity”. “Israel is only proving to the world that it is a rogue, genocidal state that has no regard for international law or institutions,” Senator Faruqi said.

“Undermining and stopping UNRWA from providing aid to Palestinians has been a long-term goal of Israel and it’s outrageous … they are even closer to achieving this because the world has refused to take action to stop them.”

The US also expressed concerns over the ban, and warned it may restrict military aid unless Israel boosts humanitarian support for Gazans. “There’s nobody that can replace (UNRWA) right now in the middle of the crisis,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

Israel’s ban on the aid agency will come into effect after 90 days.

Prime Minister Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable”.