UNRWA faces an uncertain path after Israel’s ban

At the heart of Jerusalem’s “Ammunition Hill” is a blue gate, marked by a sign that reads “UNRWA West Bank Field Office” in bold letters. This site was pivotal in 1967 when Israel won a decisive battle against the Jordanian army, eventually securing control of the Old City of Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Following that victory, Israel signed an agreement with UNRWA, allowing the UN Palestine Refugee Agency to continue its operations in the occupied territories, with Israel’s commitment to support its work. However, as of Monday evening, the validity of this treaty is in jeopardy – pending the passage of a new law passed by the Knesset.

In a sweeping move on the first day back from summer recess, Israel’s parliament approved two potentially transformative laws by a wide margin. These laws not only prohibit UNRWA from operating on Israeli soil, but also prohibit Israeli officials from interacting with the agency. The measures are to take effect in three months.

Even UNRWA is in the dark about what will come next

Jonathan Fowler motions to an unadorned boardroom. Behind him, the UNRWA logo stands out on the wall – where Fowler, a bald and bearded British citizen, serves as press spokesman. A day after the political shock wave in the Knesset, the corridors of the building are quiet. The journalists seem to outnumber the staff on the ground. UNRWA staff in the West Bank have not set foot here for over a year; Israel has denied them entry since October 7, 2023.

It’s a tiring day for Fowler. His schedule is full, leaving him little respite as he explains, chats, reassures, and checks his phone intermittently. The question that looms over all these exchanges is: what now? Even he cannot give a definitive answer. “We might lose this building,” says Fowler. But that, he points out, is pointless. What really matters are the people who depend on the agency – the Palestinian refugees. Right now, their need is particularly urgent in Gaza.

UNRWA officially supports 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in the Israeli-occupied territories and neighboring Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Under the organization’s mandate, refugee status is inherited, meaning that the children and grandchildren of the original 700,000 Palestinians displaced after Israel’s establishment in 1948 remain eligible for UN aid.

UNRWA’s largest presence is in Gaza

Fowler explains that much remains uncertain because the details of the law’s implementation are still unclear. However, if Israeli officials are barred from contacting UNRWA, the humanitarian consequences in Gaza could be profound. For example, the organization would lose its ability to coordinate aid distribution with the Israeli military or receive supplies at the port of Ashdod, Fowler says, noting that denying visas to UNRWA staff or a customs blockade could also impede aid flows. .

In the Gaza Strip, UNRWA distributes essential supplies alongside other UN agencies such as the World Health Organization and the World Food Programme, as well as private organizations. But as Fowler points out, UNRWA is the main organization concerned with providing humanitarian aid to people. “No other part of the UN system has a network like ours in the Gaza Strip,” he notes.

“We have about 5,000 employees still able to function,” he says. In contrast, he estimates that other UN agencies maintain only about 250 staff in the Gaza Strip, although these figures cannot be independently verified. Before the war, UNRWA employed about 12,000 people in the coastal region.

The worsening of the crisis in the West Bank

UNRWA also operates schools, health clinics and public infrastructure in 19 refugee camps in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Over the decades, these camps have evolved from tent cities into permanent neighborhoods with sustainable housing structures.

If the Knesset law is strictly enforced, it could have a far-reaching impact on public services in the West Bank, which is already struggling with economic instability. UNRWA staff could face restricted access to checkpoints and hospitals could be cut off from supplies of essential medical supplies.

Israel has announced plans to find a replacement for UNRWA within three months. If UNRWA were to dissolve, Israel, as the occupying power, would have the sole responsibility under international law to meet the needs of the civilian population.

An alternative to UNRWA has not yet been found

On Monday, a key backer of the UNRWA legislation said other organizations would assume the agency’s roles during the three-month transition and beyond. Israel’s Coordination Agency for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) is reportedly drawing up plans, although details remain secret.

Eitan Dangot, former head of COGAT from 2009 to 2013, voiced his support for the legislation in an interview with journalists on Monday, citing alleged links between UNRWA staff and militant activities. According to Dangot, during his tenure there were already reports of youths holding military exercises in UNRWA summer camps.

Dangot admits there is no clear plan if UNRWA operations in the Gaza Strip will close. “Israel overdue for new administration for Gaza.” He argues that a new order in Gaza without UNRWA or Hamas would only be viable if the Palestinian Authority (PA) is involved. The PA must take responsibility for education and health care, including in the West Bank, while other UN agencies manage aid.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government opposes PA involvement, fearing it could pave the way for a Palestinian state — a scenario it is trying to avoid. As the three-month deadline looms, the lack of a viable UNRWA alternative threatens to worsen the suffering in the Gaza Strip and risk plunging the West Bank into further unrest.

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