UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned Israel in a letter that he could sue him at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if he does not repeal the laws directed against the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRVA) and if he does not return seized property and possessions.
In a January 8 letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Guterres stated that the United Nations cannot remain indifferent to “Israel’s actions that are in direct conflict with its obligations under international law.” “They must be canceled without delay,” he said.
In October 2024, Israel’s parliament passed a law banning UNRWA from working in the country and banning officials from contacting the agency. Last month, that law was amended to prohibit the supply of electricity or water to UNRVA facilities.
Israeli authorities also seized UNRWA offices in east Jerusalem last month. The UN considers East Jerusalem to be under Israeli occupation, and Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be part of its state. Israel’s UN ambassador, Deni Danon, today rejected Guterres’ letter to Netanyahu.
“We are not intimidated by the secretary-general’s threats,” Danon said. “Instead of addressing the undeniable involvement of UNRWA staff in terrorism, the secretary-general chooses to threaten Israel. This is not a defense of international law, but a defense of an organization tainted by terrorism,” he said.
Israel has long been critical of UNRWA, which was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949 after the war that followed the creation of Israel. The agency has provided aid, health care and education to millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
The United Nations has said that nine UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and have been fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon, who was killed by Israel in September, was also found to have worked for UNRWA.
The UN has promised to investigate all allegations and has repeatedly asked Israel for evidence, which the UN says has yet to be provided.
