Officials in Jerusalem accuse UNRWA volunteers of promoting terrorism and allege that Hamas has infiltrated the organization.
"The State of Israel will continue working with humanitarian organizations, but not with those that support terrorism against us," stated Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon. He further remarked that, despite presenting substantial evidence to the U.N. showing Hamas’s infiltration of UNRWA, the U.N. has not acted on this information.
Earlier, the Israeli Knesset passed laws prohibiting the activities of UNRWA within Israel. At the same time, Israeli government agencies were banned from collaborating with the organization.
These regulations effectively de-legitimize the operations of this U.N. agency, which is responsible for providing aid to Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. Israel has declared UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini a persona non grata.
Norway calls for U.N. investigation: "No country is above the law. That applies also to Israel"
Meanwhile, the Norwegian government announced that it would present a resolution to the U.N. General Assembly calling on the International Court of Justice to investigate whether
Israel is violating international law by obstructing humanitarian aid in the Middle East. According to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, many countries have already expressed support for this initiative.
"No country is above the law. That applies also to Israel," said Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. Norway believes that blocking aid to Palestinians constitutes a serious violation of international law.
Norway responds to Israel's revocation of diplomatic accreditations
In early August, Israel revoked the accreditation of Norwegian diplomats operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, ordering them to leave the areas immediately. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide announced that Oslo would take "appropriate actions" in response.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store also stated that Israel's recent actions clearly violate international order by restricting the activities of the U.N. and humanitarian organizations in Palestine.
He emphasized that blocking access to humanitarian aid for Palestinians under Israeli occupation undermines their right to receive such assistance and called on the international community to take action.
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Source: IAR/PAP/Reuters/X/@dannydanon/@EspenBarthEide
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