The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, on Monday passed a motion banning UNRWA (the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency) from operating inside Israel and occupied Palestine.
92 Israeli MPs voted in favour of legislation, with only ten voting against, that bans the UN relief agency from providing any humanitarian relief, food or shelter to Palestinians inside Israel, Gaza, the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
A second law was also passed cutting off all communications between Israeli authorities and any UNRWA organisation, declaring the relief agency a ‘terrorist organisation’.
Ahmed Abu Holi, Executive Committee member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and head of the Refugee Affairs Department, told WAFA Palestinian News Agency that the Israeli state is declaring war on UNRWA to end its role, as a prelude to eliminating the refugee issue.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian presidency in Ramallah, said: ‘The overwhelming vote of the Knesset reflects Israel’s transformation into a fascist state.’
The Zionist regime is intent on eliminating the refugee issue by eliminating the Palestinian people through a genocidal campaign that has killed over 42,000 in Gaza alone, according to the latest figures.
Coupled with the indiscriminate murderous bombings and shooting is a campaign of mass starvation designed to drive around two million Palestinians out of their land.
UNRWA head, Philippe Lazarini, called the decision by the Knesset ‘unprecedented’ and said it was ‘nothing less than collective punishment’ for Palestinians that ‘will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza, where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell.’
Western leaders were quick to voice their hypocritical concerns over the ban, with the US State Department saying it was ‘deeply concerned’ and that UNRWA plays a ‘critical, important role in delivering humanitarian assistance to civilians’ in Gaza.
The US, along with its allies, ended funding to UNRWA following the unfounded accusations by Israel that 12 of its workers had participated in last October’s military action by Hamas. When a UN inquiry found no evidence to support this accusation, only the US refused to rescind this ban. That’s how concerned the Biden administration is about humanitarian aid to Gaza!
Throughout yesterday, the United Nations and countries across the world denounced the ban on UNRWA.
In Britain, Keir Starmer expressed his ‘grave concern’ while Labour Foreign Secretary David Lammy called it ‘a matter of profound regret’ and hoped the ban wouldn’t be implemented insisting ‘it cannot be in Israel’s interest to block the only aid organisation in Gaza.’
Israel’s interests are the only thing that Lammy and Starmer are worried about as tens of millions of workers and youth across Britain and the world react in fury at the crimes against humanity carried out daily by the Zionists’ genocide – made possible only through the ‘iron clad’ support and encouragement of US imperialism and its tame allies.
The war declared by the Israeli regime on UNRWA reflects not the strength of the Netanyahu government but the fact that Israel is facing defeat on all the fronts it has launched attacks on.
In Gaza, not one of Netanyahu’s’ proclaimed objectives – crushing Hamas, releasing Israeli prisoners and ending all resistance to occupation – have been achieved, with Hamas continuing to strike at the occupation forces.
The ground invasion of Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah has stalled completely, while the indiscriminate bombing of Beirut has only stiffened the resistance which has delivered powerful blows exposing the fragility of Israel’s military supremacy.
Banning UNRWA, which has only inflamed the hatred of workers and youth across the world even more, is a sign of the desperation of the Zionist regime.
Now is the time for the working class to take action to support the Palestinian revolution.
In Britain the demand must be to immediately recall the TUC conference and sack those leaders who are silent over Palestine.
Those who refuse to use the strength of the working class to end complicity in genocide must be replaced with a new leadership that will call a general strike to bring down the Starmer government going forward to a workers’ government that will end all support for Israel, and provide all the aid and military support required by the Palestinians to smash the occupation and bring in the independent state of Palestine.
This is the only way forward.