Arab Parliament Urges Global Action Against Israeli Attempts to Dismantle UNRWA

UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)
UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)
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Arab Parliament Urges Global Action Against Israeli Attempts to Dismantle UNRWA

UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)
UNRWA center targeted by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza (DPA)

Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed Ahmed Al-Yamahi has called on parliaments worldwide  to take urgent steps to counter the Israeli attempts to dismantle the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
In messages to parliamentary leaders worldwide, Al-Yamahi highlighted the gravity of these moves, which, he stated, aim to erase UNRWA’s role and undermine the rights of Palestinian refugees, particularly their internationally recognized right of return, SPA reported.
He emphasized that UNRWA is a cornerstone of the international community’s commitment to Palestinian refugee rights and heritage, and that efforts to eliminate it represent a broader strategy to nullify the refugees’ right to return — a stance in direct violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.
Al-Yamahi urged global cooperation to safeguard UNRWA’s mission and ensure that it continues to provide essential services as mandated under UN Resolution 194 of 1948, which he underscored as fundamental to regional stability and the pursuit of a just, comprehensive peace. He reiterated that there is no viable substitute for UNRWA in fulfilling these humanitarian and stabilizing roles.
The Arab Parliament speaker also appealed to international and regional parliaments to adopt a unified position in defense of UNRWA, urging their respective governments to apply diplomatic pressure on the Israeli authorities to halt these actions.
He called for a “robust commitment to upholding international legitimacy, adherence to international law, and the cessation of prolonged violence and human rights violations against unarmed civilians, which have continued unabated for over a year”.



Lebanese Politician Accuses Israel of Increasing Bombardment to Wring Concessions

This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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Lebanese Politician Accuses Israel of Increasing Bombardment to Wring Concessions

This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This picture taken from a position in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, shows an Israeli flag (L) on a destroyed building, and a Lebanese flag (R) painted on a damaged building in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal on November 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

Lebanon’s deputy parliament speaker has accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment of Lebanon in order to pressure the government to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah.

Elias Bou Saab, an ally of the Iran-backed group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire.”

“We are optimistic, and there is hope, but nothing is guaranteed with a person like (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu),” Bou Saab told reporters.

Israel has carried out heavy strikes in central Beirut in recent days, while Hezbollah has increased its rocket fire into Israel.

The United States is trying to broker an agreement in which Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces would withdraw from southern Lebanon and Lebanese troops would patrol the region, along with a UN peacekeeping force.

Israel has demanded freedom of action to strike Hezbollah if it violates the ceasefire, but Bou Saab said that was not part of the emerging agreement.

He also said Israel had accepted that France be part of the committee overseeing the ceasefire after Lebanese officials insisted. There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli side.

Israel has objected to France being on the committee in the wake of the International Criminal Court’s decision last week to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas military commander.

France said it supports the court. It said the question of whether it would arrest Netanyahu if he set foot on French soil was a “complex legal issue” that would have to be worked out.