The legislation passed yesterday by Israel yesterday seeking effectively to dismantle UNRWA constitute an assault on the rights of Palestinian refugees, an assault on the international rules-based order, and a further direct violation of the ICJ injunction to Israel, under the genocide convention, to ensure the delivery of life saving aid into Gaza. On that basis it can only be understood as – and should be responded to as – further evidence of Israel’s perpetration of the crime of genocide. The response of the UK Government to this legislation is shamefully inadequate, amounting to a declaration that Israel must allow UNRWA to deliver aid whilst failing to commit to action to prevent Israel implementing a law designed to achieve the opposite.
Isreal has sought to undermine UNRWA for decades as part of a broader project to remove the status of Palestinian refugees, so that they will remain trapped in a perpetual exile denied their right, enshrined within international law, to return to the homes from which they and their families were expelled. Its actions now to effectively dismantle UNRWA will cause further death in Gaza and, as confirmed in a recent global appeal from over 50 aid agencies, will have devastating consequences for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. There is no viable alternative to UNRWA to provide its essential lifesaving services.
Israel’s actions also represent a further assault by it on the functioning of the UN and on the implementation of a rules based international order, following its recent direct attacks on UN bases and staff in Lebanon. In this context the response of the UK Government adds to its catalogue of shame in failing to take action to address Israel’s genocide. Appallingly, in the House of Commons yesterday, having acknowledged that genocide is a legal term which must be determined by international courts, David Lammy then effectively undermined any commitment to support their rulings by suggesting that genocide should only be used as a term in “serious” situations when millions of people had been killed.
His remarks not only demonstrated his ignorance as to the legal definition of genocide, but showed contempt for the judgment of the ICJ in January as to the plausibility of the charge that Israel is guilty of the crime. Coming at a moment when the UN secretary general is indicating that the life of every Palestinian in the North of Gaza is currently at risk as Israel unleashes a policy of complete annihilation, his remarks show a disdain for the value of Palestinian life and are unforgivable. He must withdraw them immediately and issue an apology. Israel’s actions against UNRWA need to be brought to the UN General Assembly as a matter of urgency and the UK Government must support all resolutions passed by the General Assembly to force Israel to abandon this legislation and to abide by the rulings of the ICJ. This includes the ICJ judgement in July demanding that Israel immediately end its occupation of Palestine. The UK Government must abide by its own responsibilities under ICJ rulings and immediately end all weapons sales to Israel government and all trade that aids and abets the genocide and supports Israel’s ongoing military occupation.
We will be taking these demands to the streets once again on November 2nd when we march from Whitehall to the US Embassy.