Berlin, Paris and London expressed concern about Israel’s ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in a joint statement issued on Friday.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, her French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot and Britain’s David Lammy urged Israel not to implement the ban.
“No other entity or UN agency currently has the capacity or infrastructure to replace UNRWA’s mandate and experience,” the joint statement said.
The diplomats said that UNRWA is the primary service provider for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and a crucial component of the response to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Israel ordered UNRWA to halt its operations on Thursday.
The country accuses the UN’s Palestinian aid agency of having some employees involved in terrorist activities for the Islamist organization Hamas. As a result, Israel’s parliament imposed a work ban on UNRWA on all Israeli-controlled territory.
A further law prohibits Israeli authorities from any contact with UNRWA.
It is feared that it could become difficult, if not impossible, for the agency to continue providing for the needy civilian population in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
For the time being, however, the UN organization is continuing its activities despite Israel’s ban.
