Israel formally voided its contract with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Monday. The step will force the agency’s closure in east Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank within three months.

 The Foreign Ministry sent a formal letter to the UN’s General Assembly president and its secretary-general, informing them of the contract’s cancellation. Last week, the Knesset voted to shut the agency, which services 5.9 million Palestinian refugees. The contract was first signed in 1967.

Israel “withdraws its request to UNRWA, as referred to in the exchange of notes between Israel and UNRWA constituting an agreement concerning the operations of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Middle East, dated 14, June 1967,” the Foreign Ministry wrote.

 “This legislation will enter into effect within a three-month period,” it wrote.

Israel assured the UN it would continue to cooperate with all its other agencies, particularly in Gaza.

UNRWA sack containing explosives, August 22, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
UNRWA sack containing explosives, August 22, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
 “Israel will continue to work with international partners, including other United Nations agencies, to ensure the facilitation of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not undermine Israel’s security,” the Foreign Ministry wrote.
“Israel expects the UN to contribute to and cooperate in this effort,” it said.
The UN General Assembly has the sole institutional power to grant or rescind permission for UNRWA to operate in six service regions, including Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

UNRWA, however, can only operate in regions where it provides services to refugees with the permission of the government or military power that controls those territories.

This essentially gives Israel the power to shut down UNRWA in Gaza, the West Bank, and east Jerusalem.

The decision to shutter UNRWA in regions under Israeli control or sovereignty comes more than a year into the Israel-Hamas War. The war has resulted in a humanitarian crisis for the Gazans, making the 2.2 million people there, not all of whom have refugee status, dependent on international aid. 

The international community relies heavily on UNRWA as a neutral body through which to fund social services for Palestinians, including education, healthcare, and basic necessities such as food. It considers UNRWA to be the most effective organization in delivering such services, making it a particularly vital agency in Gaza.

Israel maintains that UNRWA is an inefficient agency with a low rate of permanence, including in Gaza, and that it is intertwined with Hamas. It has said several UNRWA staff were involved in kidnapping Israelis during the October 7 massacre, and that the organization employs Hamas members.
UNRWA staff were involved in kidnapping Israelis during the October 7 massacre, and that the organization employs Hamas members.

While in Gaza, the IDF uncovered weapons and Hamas facilities in or underneath existing UNRWA ones.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon on Monday said the UN had failed to address the problem.
“UNRWA is controlled by Hamas in Gaza,” he said. “The State of Israel will continue to cooperate with humanitarian organizations but not with organizations that promote terrorism against the State of Israel.”

Guterres warns Israel of severe consequences

 UN Secretary-General Antony Guterres and others in the international community have warned Israel of severe consequences should it decide to close UNRWA. Last week, Guterres sent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a letter in which he said shutting UNRWA was a violation of the UN charter.
Norway has said it would sponsor a UN General Assembly resolution seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice about the legality of the move.
In response to Israel’s closure of UNRWA, the UN could decide to strip it of voting rights at the General Assembly.
Israel is also at risk of being liable to provide and fund humanitarian assistance, including education and healthcare, to Palestinians who have been serviced by UNRWA.