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STATEMENT
OF THE BUREAU OF THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY’S COMMITTEE ON THE
EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS
OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
UN Palestinian
Rights Committee Bureau welcomes
Gaza ceasefire, demands full
implementation and move towards a
solution of the conflict, and
condemns Israel’s UNRWA ban
perpetuating Palestinian suffering
31 January
2025
The Bureau of the UN
Palestinian Rights Committee
welcomes the Gaza ceasefire as a
crucial step in halting the Israeli
military operations on the
Palestinian civilian population
since October 2023 and stemming the
vast human suffering and loss of
life. As hundreds of thousands
return to devastated homes, urgent
and sustained humanitarian aid is
essential to all civilians in need
in Gaza. The Bureau underscores the
irreplaceable role of the United
Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA) in delivering lifesaving
assistance and stabilizing the
ceasefire.
The Committee Bureau
strongly condemns Israel’s adoption
of legislation banning UNRWA and
stripping it of its privileges and
immunities, obstructing its
operations in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory, including
East Jerusalem, in direct violation
of the General Assembly mandate and resolution
ES-10/25 recently
adopted by the General Assembly by
overwhelming majority. The Bureau
calls on Israel, the occupying
power, to immediately suspend and
reverse the implementation of this
legislation that curtails UNRWA’s
vital operations and will negatively
impact delivery of essential
services and assistance, including
education and healthcare, to the
Palestine refugees.
Coming immediately after
the Gaza ceasefire deal, Israel’s
ban on UNRWA is a blatant move that
will exacerbate Palestinian
suffering – not with airstrikes and
bombs, but with deprivation, hunger,
and disease. As affirmed
by the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) Advisory
Opinion of July 2024, Israel, due to
its status as an occupying power,
has no sovereignty in any part of
the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
including East Jerusalem, where the
UNRWA headquarters is located. The UNRWA
ban is as unlawful as the Israeli
occupation itself, which
must end, as determined by the ICJ
and consecutive General Assembly resolution
ES-10/24 of September
2024. This unprecedented attack on a
UN-mandated agency deepens the
suffering of millions of Palestine
refugees, for whom UNRWA is a
lifeline for survival. The Agency’s
operations are essential in all
fields of operation, including to
alleviating the humanitarian
catastrophe in Gaza, restoring basic
services and sustaining the
ceasefire and cannot be replaced.
Israel’s actions violate
the United Nations Charter, the
Convention on the Privileges and
Immunities of the United Nations,
its obligations as the occupying
Power under the Fourth Geneva
Convention and multiple General
Assembly and Security Council
resolutions. Such ongoing Israeli
policies and measures will cripple
humanitarian efforts, hinder Gaza’s
recovery, and destabilize the
ceasefire, jeopardizing regional
stability. Israel must immediately
cease all attacks on UNRWA and its
humanitarian operations in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory,
including East Jerusalem, and cease
all violations of international law
and the human rights of the
Palestinian people.
The Committee Bureau
urgently appeals to the General
Assembly, the Security Council, and
all Member States to categorically
reject Israel’s unlawful
legislation, demand its immediate
repeal, and insist that Israel
uphold UNRWA’s mandate. The Bureau
urges prompt ICJ action, as requested
by the General Assembly on
19 December 2024, to urgently
deliver an Advisory Opinion on the
obligations of Israel in relation to
the presence and activities of the
United Nations, other international
organizations and third States to
uphold the rule of law and
obligations thereunder and to avert
further Palestinian suffering. The
Committee Bureau reaffirms its
support for the ceasefire agreement
and calls for its full respect and
implementation, leading to a lasting
cessation of hostilities and a just,
enduring peace, based on
international law and the relevant
UN resolutions and achieving the
inalienable rights of the
Palestinian people and the two-State
solution on the basis of the
pre-1967 lines.
END
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