As Israel has legislated a ban on all UNRWA operations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, Caabu Director Chris Doyle has written to the Foreign Secretary, calling for the UK to take action if Israel proceeds with this disastrous step.
28 January 2025
Dear Foreign Secretary
In two day’s time, Israeli legislation will come into force that will ban UNRWA operations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
The UK has offered warm support to UNRWA including an additional £13 million announced in December 2024, vital not least for its incredible work in Gaza as the largest humanitarian agency operating there. The government has also criticised the Israeli decision. We appreciate that the Prime Minister himself met with Commissioner-General Lazzarini in December as a powerful sign of British support at the highest level.
But the question from the outset of the Israeli onslaught on UNRWA, whose mandate successive Israeli governments have always opposed, has been what Britain will do, not what it will say. Israel has crossed many red lines over the last 15 months, at some point major actors have to take action.
We urge you therefore to take specific measures in the event Israel proceeds with this disastrous step which will only further impact the civilian population of Gaza that Israel has put under siege and has starved as a weapon of war. In fact, Israel has a legal responsibility for the welfare of the population of the occupied Palestinian territory as the occupying power, which as the UK recognises, includes Gaza.
There is also a significant danger given recent Israeli moves that following the banning of UNRWA, British aid agencies and human rights groups will also face Israeli bans or obstacles that will render their operations impossible.
Only sanctions will deter Israel from proceeding and given its appalling violations of international law, this would be both timely and appropriate. We urge you to push for such measures with immediate effect.
Chris Doyle
Director, Council for Arab-British Understanding
