The European Council President warned that Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA could jeopardise the country’s trade agreement with the EU.

Israel’s parliament passed a law Monday banning the UN Palestinian refugee agency from operating in the country. Analysts say it is an attempt to depopulate especially Gaza by terminating this irreplaceable lifeline from the population.

The legislation, which takes effect in 60-90 days, will severely restrict UNRWA’s ability to provide aid to over five million Palestinian refugees and has been widely condemned around the world, even by Israel’s allies.

“The decision made by parliament in Israel, if implemented, to ban UNRWA in Israel is absolutely not acceptable and I cannot imagine that there would be no consequences on the EU side,” Charles Michel told reporters in Geneva.

“I can observe that more and more voices, including at the political level, the highest political level of the EU, are considering that the time will come to put on the table the Association Agreement between Israel and the EU,” he said.

On Thursday, Israel continued its onslaught on UNRWA by bulldozing its offices in the West Bank, according to the agency’s chief Philippe Lazzarini.

UNRWA, short for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, provides education, healthcare, and humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Israel condemned

The World Health Organisation chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of “devastating consequences” as the agency is an “irreplaceable lifeline.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasised that Israel has to “act consistently with its obligations under the Charter of the UN and international law,” arguing that “national legislation cannot alter those obligations.”

UK foreign secretary David Lammy said: “Today’s Israeli Knesset bills restricting @UNRWA are totally wrong.”

“Alongside international partners, the UK has been clear Israel must ensure UNRWA can deliver aid at the speed and scale needed to address the humanitarian emergency in Gaza.”

The official X feed of the United Kingdom at the UN posted: “The allegations against UNRWA staff earlier this year were fully investigated. They offer no justification for cutting off ties with UNRWA.”

Russia declared the ban a violation of international law and the UN Charter. “The adoption of these bills (by Israel’s parliament) not only violates international law, including UN General Assembly decisions and the UN Charter, but also contradicts the conditions for Israel’s admission to the UN,” said a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Meanwhile, the US State Department cautioned that implementing the legislation could be catastrophic for Palestinians who depend on UNRWA for essential services, including healthcare and education.

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