UNRWA - Israel’s UNRWA ban is a spectacular own goal : Cristofer Gunnes / Al Jazeera

 Article shared by Fouad Kronfol

In today’s Al Jazeera Op Ed a great article by Christofer Gunnes on the Israeli govt scoring a « self goal » by banning UNRWA in its occupied territories. He argues, correctly I might add, that removing UNRWA and its aid makes ,in legal and humanitarian law terms, all Palestinian refugees come under the responsibility of UNHCR ,one of whose main policies is the return of refugees to their homeland.

In fact I remember someone telling me when I joined UNICEF that both US and Israel were instrumental in creating UNRWA in 1948/49 as a separate agency for Palestinian refugees , precisely because they did not want them to be taken care of by UNHCR under whose mandate would have to accept repatriation to Palestine…

A strange turn of events indeed…let’s see how this plays out.
Sorry don’t know how to forward an article from AlJazeera.
Fouad

Click here for the article

Summary
Israel's recent ban on UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) operations in Gaza and the West Bank may backfire, as it could lead to Palestinian refugees falling under UNHCR protection, which more strongly advocates for refugees' right of return. The author explains that this outcome would be contrary to Israel's apparent goal of diminishing Palestinian refugee rights and claims.

Quotes:
"If Israel succeeds in doing away with UNRWA, this would undoubtedly be a painful loss for the Palestinians. But it will not erase the Palestinian refugee issue. The end of UNRWA will actually open an even stronger chapter for the Palestinian right of return."
"Crucially, under UNHCR guidelines, refugees are registered through the male and female lines. UNRWA restricts this to the male line only, so under UNHCR, the number of Palestine refugees will likely grow more rapidly than it does under UNRWA."
(under the 1951 Refugee Convention) - "When such protection or assistance has ceased for any reason [...] these persons shall ipso facto be entitled to the benefits of this Convention."