Israel Against UN General Assembly Resolution, Ambassador: Gaza's Future Must Be Without UNRWA

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations confirmed the future of the Gaza Strip, Palestine must be without UNRWA (UN Aid Agency for Palestine), as the country opposes the two resolutions discussed at a UN General Assembly (UNGA) meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States on Wednesday local time.

UNGA successfully adopted two resolutions with a majority vote, first asking Israel to lift the ban on UNRWA operations (159 in favor of 11 abstentions and 9 resisted), secondly urging an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and full access to humanitarian aid in the Palestinian enclave (158, 13). Israel and the United States oppose the two resolutions along with a number of countries.

The Israeli ambassador said the vote for the draft would send a message that the lives of Israelis did not deserve the attention of the Assembly, quoted from the UN News website December 12.

He explained that Israel over the past few years has informed the United Nations about UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, regarding actions involving agency employees.

"UNRWA has been infiltrated by Hamas, but the Assembly appreciates the activity and wants to demand a ceasefire and ignore the hostages," the Israeli Ambassador said.

"The future of Gaza must be without UNRWA," he stressed.

Last week, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon accused the United Nations of "obsession in vilifying Israel," Reuters said.

Israel is known to say UNRWA staff participated in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. Belangan, the United Nations said nine UNRWA staff may have been involved and have been fired.

"By voting for this resolution, you will not vote to protect human values, but to protect organizations that have become a haven for terror," Ambassador Danon told the assembly on Wednesday before the vote.

It is known that the General Assembly's resolution is non-binding but has political weight, reflecting a global view of the war.

"The message we send to the world through these resolutions is important. And these two resolutions have significant problems," US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood told the assembly.

"One awards Hamas and shrinks the need for release of the hostages, and the other demeans Israel without giving a way forward to increase humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians," he explained.

UNRWA was founded by the General Assembly in 1949 after the war that broke out around Israel's founding.

The United Nations itself has repeatedly said there is no alternative for UNRWA, which provides assistance, health, and education for millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.