CARICOM condemns Israel’s move to ban UNRWA

GEORGETOWN (CMC):

The 15-member regional integration grouping, CARICOM, Wednesday called on Israel to reverse its decision and allow for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to continue its operations.

“The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) expresses grave concern about the vote taken by the Israeli Knesset on Monday 28 October, 2024 to prohibit the humanitarian assistance provided to the people of Palestine by the UNRWA for Palestine Refugees in the Near East,” the grouping said in a statement, adding “the Israeli action is a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter”.

The UN Human Rights Office declared that aid deliveries will “grind to a halt” without UNRWA, and the head of the World Health Organization called the development “intolerable.”

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stressed that the effective ban would have “devastating consequences” while UNICEF chief Catherine Russell declared that “this decision is dangerous; the lives and futures of Palestinian children are at stake,” while James Elder, a UNICEF staffer in the region, denounced the decision, saying “a new way has been found to kill children.”

In its statement, CARICOM said the protection of civilians and the respect for human rights in all circumstances is sacrosanct.

”CARICOM calls on Israel to allow the UNRWA to continue to operate within the framework of UN General Assembly mandate 302 (IV) of 18 December 1949 in providing essential humanitarian services to Palestinian refugees in areas controlled by Israel, notably in Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

”Further, CARICOM reiterates its call for a permanent cease fire and the immediate release of hostages and the provision of humanitarian support for all civilians affected by the military action in Gaza and other affected areas.”

The regional grouping said that it “remains steadfast in support of efforts towards a two-state solution within secure borders”.

Earlier, the Belize government issued a separate statement saying “Israel has ignored the binding orders of the International Court of Justice to stop the killing and allow humanitarian aid.

“It is no less than a death warrant gratuitously and heartlessly inflicted on hundreds of thousands of children, women and the elderly by the Israeli state,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in the statement.