Israel’s High Court of Justice has rejected a last-minute petition from human rights organisations to suspend a law that would severely restrict the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
The decision, made on Wednesday, paves the way for the law to take effect later this month, effectively banning the agency from providing services or conducting any activities inside Israel.
The legislation, which has sparked widespread condemnation from international bodies and rights groups, restricts the group from maintaining offices or offering services within Israel’s sovereign borders.
This includes halting the agency’s crucial humanitarian work in East Jerusalem, a significant blow to the thousands of Palestinians in the city and across Israel’s occupied territories who rely on UNRWA’s assistance.
The agency has been providing vital health, education, and humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees since its inception in 1949.
Severe consequences for Palestinians
On Tuesday, the aid agency’s chief told the Security Council that Israel’s actions jeopardise “any prospect of peace”.
“In two days, our operations in the occupied Palestinian territory will be crippled,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told the 15-member Security Council. “Full implementation of the Knesset legislation will be disastrous.”
Rights groups like Adalah and Gisha have argued that the law violates international human rights standards and Israel’s legal obligations under international law, warning that the ban will have devastating impacts on the already dire situation facing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Since the outbreak Israel’s war on Gaza, UNRWA has delivered around 60 percent of the food aid to the enclave.
The agency’s suspension has drawn sharp criticism from international bodies, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres among the most vocal opponents, calling for Israel to retract its decision and highlighting the irreplaceable nature of the agency’s work.
The ban will also affect around 30,000 UNRWA employees who will be left without jobs, further exacerbating the already critical humanitarian crisis in the region.
The closure is also a political provocation, according to Palestinian leaders. A spokesperson for Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the move, warning that it would fuel further tensions and destabilise the region.
The PA has accused Israel of attempting to erase the Palestinian refugee issue, a core element of the broader Palestinian struggle.
UNRWA, which has been a lifeline for Palestinian refugees displaced by the 1948 Nakba, operates not only in Gaza and the West Bank but also in neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
Israel has consistently refused to step in and provide the services that UNRWA has long offered to Palestinians.
