The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network urges the Australian government to take decisive action against Israel’s imminent ban on UNRWA, set to take effect on Thursday.
This attack on the UN agency threatens not only Palestinian lives, but the integrity of the entire international system.
The ban would forcibly halt UNRWA’s life-saving operations across the occupied Palestinian territory, including clinics serving almost 900,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and 1.2 million Palestinians in Gaza; and schools serving more than 350,000 children across Palestine.
It would also devastate UNRWA’s broader humanitarian relief efforts, which are critical to the survival of millions of Palestinians.
UNRWA facilitates 60% of food aid entering Gaza, and provided food parcels, tarpaulins and mattresses to more than one million people within just days of the recent ceasefire.
Without UNRWAs operations, the already dire humanitarian situation will spiral into unmitigated catastrophe, perpetuating Israel’s genocidal agenda.
Israel’s ban on UNRWA is also part of this rogue state’s calculated assault on the foundations of international law and humanitarian norms. By undermining a UN agency mandated to support Palestinian refugees, Israel is defying its obligations under the UN Charter and international law, and is setting a dangerous precedent for state defiance of multilateral institutions.
The Australian government must support the UN to resist this assault on its legitimacy, and must pressure Israel to reverse this ban immediately. Failure to do so would embolden not only Israel, but any state seeking to disregard international law with impunity.
APAN calls on the Australian government to:
- Publicly condemn Israel’s ban on UNRWA as a violation of international law, a grave threat to the global humanitarian system, and as part of Israel’s broader strategy to expand illegal settlements and accelerate genocide and ethnic cleansing in the occupied Palestinian territory.
- Apply immediate pressure on Israel, including diplomatic and economic sanctions, to reverse this genocidal policy.
- Officially support Israel’s expulsion from the UN.
- Advocate for UNRWA’s protection as a cornerstone of international humanitarian law, and a critical lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees.
Comments attributed to APAN President Nasser Mashni:
“Israel’s ban on UNRWA is not just a genocidal act against Palestinians, but a calculated attack on the integrity of the international system.
“By targeting the one agency capable of delivering large-scale humanitarian aid in the midst of its genocide and violent apartheid and occupation in Palestine, Israel is attempting to dismantle the very foundations of international law.
“Australia must acknowledge that this is about more than aid – it’s about protecting the principles that underpin global governance.
“Failure to act decisively would send a clear signal that apartheid, genocide and impunity are acceptable to the global community.”