Arab League Urges US, EU to Intervene to Prevent Israeli Right-Wing Plan to Undermine UNRWA

FILE PHOTO: A damaged sign is pictured at the headquarters of UNRWA, following an Israeli raid, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Gaza City, July 12, 2024. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo

The Arab League has called on the US administration and the European Union (EU) to take strong action to prevent the implementation of the Israeli right-wing plan to completely undermine the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), aiming to strip the refugee issue of its substance. The League emphasized that saving UNRWA is both a moral and strategic necessity, SPA reported.
This appeal was conveyed in two letters sent by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. The letters addressed the recent law passed by the Israeli Knesset to ban UNRWA activities.
In a statement, Aboul Gheit explained that the letter included a detailed warning of the risks associated with undermining the agency’s work in Palestinian territories, noting that the new laws adopted by the occupation state threaten a complete collapse of the humanitarian response system in Gaza, where residents are on the brink of famine.
The statement pointed out that the letter stressed that UNRWA is a pillar of stability not only in Palestine but throughout the entire region and that dismantling it if it were to happen, would be a severe blow to those who still believe in the possibility of peace in the Middle East. The statement added that the recent legislation is a violation of Israel’s international obligations as a UN member state, posing a serious international precedent.