Israel’s outlawing of UNRWA will make life ‘unbearable’ for Palestinians
Al Jazeera
Israel banned the UN aid agency as part of broader attempt to expel Palestinians from their land, analysts say.
Beirut, Lebanon – Israel’s much-criticised banning of the United Nations Palestinian aid agency (UNRWA) is part of a broader attempt to undermine the rights of Palestinian refugees and expel them from the occupied territories, analysts have told Al Jazeera.
The ban on the agency takes effect in three months and will exacerbate an already catastrophic situation in Gaza and the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem.
“The latest legislation is part of a campaign [by Israel] to kill any aid infrastructure,” said Tahani Mustafa, an expert on Israel and Palestine for International Crisis Group, a non-profit dedicated to conflict resolution.
“But it is also part of a broader objective to permanently remove Palestinians from their land,” she told Al Jazeera.
As the largest aid provider to Palestinian refugees, UNRWA has played an instrumental role in keeping people alive in Gaza, where civilians face a risk of genocide, according to the International Court of Justice.
