Philippe Lazzarini<\/a>, UNRWA\u2019s commissioner-general, said. He said that the bill was a direct affront to the mandate granted to the agency by the UN General Assembly and contrary to the findings of the International Court of Justice, which oblige Israel, as a UN member state, to fulfill its responsibilities to UNRWA and the broader UN system.<\/p>\n\u201cThis stands in clear violation of the State of Israel\u2019s obligations under international law [and] is part of an ongoing, systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct the core role that the agency plays in providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine refugees,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Lazzarini noted that the ICJ ruled in October 2025 that Israel is obliged under international law to facilitate UNRWA\u2019s operations, not hinder or prevent them.<\/p>\n
The ICJ had concluded that \u201cunder international human rights law Israel is required to refrain from impeding UNRWA\u2019s operations\u201d and \u201cexpressly rejected Israel\u2019s allegations against UNRWA concerning its alleged lack of impartiality and\/or neutrality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Specifically, the court \u201cdismissed Israel\u2019s arguments that security concerns arising from unsubstantiated \u2018infiltration\u2019 by Hamas justified restrictions on UNRWA\u2019s operations in the [Palestinian territories].\u201d It found no evidence to suggest that the UNRWA lacked neutrality and no evidence that the agency breached impartiality requirements under Article 59 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.<\/p>\n
It did, however, acknowledge that the neutrality of an organization plays a role in assessing its impartiality under Article 59 and that Israel was \u201cin principle, free to choose humanitarian organizations through which it fulfills its obligation.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Anne Herzberg, legal advisor and UN representative for NGO Monitor, told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that \u201cthe ICJ didn\u2019t look in any real substantive way at the allegations against UNRWA. They seemed to say it was just a few bad apples, and they limited it to the Colonna Review, which was this self-serving investigation set up by the UN to discuss what was happening at UNRWA.\u201d<\/p>\n
Herzberg explained that the ICJ did not look at allegations made by many groups that have documented the ties between UNRWA and terrorism or its lack of neutrality.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the ICJ did set out this general principle about neutrality and that if a group wasn\u2019t neutral, Israel could place restrictions on it, but actually it really did not do a proper review of UNRWA, simply relying again on self-serving information provided by the UN,\u201d Herzberg said.<\/p>\n
Israel prohibits international NGOs that fail to register<\/h3>\n Additionally, on Monday, Israel announced that international NGOs that did not renew their registration would no longer be allowed to operate in Gaza or the West Bank. The Foreign Ministry said that the organizations \u2013 which include Doctors Without Borders \u2013 were notified in March 2025, given nearly 10 months to comply, and granted a \u201cgood-faith extension,\u201d allowing continued interim operations. NGOs now prohibited from operating are those that did not complete the process, and they will lose authorization on January 1, 2026.<\/p>\n
The ministry added that registration was necessary to prevent terrorist elements and safeguard the integrity of humanitarian activity.<\/p>\n
It also stressed that most registered NGOs were still operating in the Gaza Strip and would continue to do so. The overall scope of humanitarian aid (approximately 99%) was also not said to be affected by this measure.<\/p>\n
The 37 unregistered organizations on the list to be banned include Action Against Hunger, Alianza por la Solidaridad, M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res (Doctors Without Borders), the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam Novib (Oxfam\u2019s Dutch affiliate), the Palestine Solidarity Association of Sweden, Medical Aid for Palestinians UK, and Oxfam Quebec.<\/p>\n
While many of them have, unsurprisingly, criticized the decision, Herzberg pointed out that, as they did not register in time, they should not be surprised by the measures. \u201cWhy do these groups think they don\u2019t have to follow the rules?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Herzberg also noted that a lot of the NGOs are unwilling to deal with the terror connections within their own organizations, and Israel is taking steps to rectify this. She explained that declassified documents from inside Gaza showed cooperation between groups such as M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res and Hamas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been willing for the past 15, 20 years to cooperate with Hamas and follow Hamas\u2019s rules, but when Israel is finally setting up a system to prevent a diversion [of funds], they\u2019re unwilling to play by the rules,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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