The
Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) has closely followed
the statements and positions issued by the Peace Council via its official
account on the "X" platform on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. The Council
explicitly declared its intention to terminate the role of the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip under
misleading slogans such as "The New Gaza," while speaking of
"ending the culture of permanent dependency on aid" and "turning
the page on the conflict."
In the
face of this dangerous development, (Witness) underscores the following
legal and human rights positions:
First: UNRWA
was established pursuant to UN General Assembly Resolution 302 of December
1949, which grants it the exclusive mandate and international legitimacy to
oversee the relief and employment of Palestine refugees. Consequently, any
attempt by any newly established regional or international body or entity to
exclude the Agency or undermine its mandate constitutes a grave legal
transgression, an assault on the prerogatives of the General Assembly, and an
attempt to impose an illegitimate de facto reality that violates international
law.
Second: The
claim that excluding UNRWA aims to "end the culture of aid
dependency" is a distortion of reality. The acute and continuous need of
the population in the Gaza Strip for humanitarian assistance and basic services
is not a societal choice. Rather, it is the direct and ongoing result of
Israeli occupation policies, characterized by a suffocating blockade enforced
for years, a systematic policy of starvation, and the widespread destruction of
all elements of life and infrastructure in the Strip, particularly amidst the
ongoing war of genocide.
Third: (Witness)views these calls and blueprints, which attempt to sideline UNRWA under the
guise of "reconstruction and stability," as inseparable from the
continuous attempts to liquidate the most prominent international and UN
witness to the plight of Palestine refugees. Attempting to "turn the page
on the conflict" by dismantling UNRWA is a denial of the root causes of
the Palestinian cause—foremost among which are the refugee issue, the Right of
Return, and the right to self-determination as enshrined in UN General Assembly
Resolution 194. We emphasize that marginalizing the Agency will not end the
conflict, but will instead deepen the humanitarian catastrophe.
In light
of the aforementioned, the Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness)
demands the following:
1.The UN General Assembly
and the Secretary-General must intervene immediately and decisively
to protect UNRWA’s mandate and counter any attempts to circumvent its legal and
UN-established authority by any international or regional councils or entities.
2.The International
Community and Donor States must sustain and intensify their political
and financial support for UNRWA to enable it to fully discharge its
responsibilities toward millions of refugees.
Beirut,
July 2, 2026
The
Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness)