UN chief warns he could refer Israel to ICJ over laws targetting UNRWA

In October 2024, Israel passed a instrumentality banning the bureau for Palestinian refugees successful Israel and occupied East Jerusalem.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that helium could instrumentality his state to the International Court of Justice if it does not repeal laws targeting the UN Palestinian exile agency (UNRWA) and instrumentality its seized assets and property.

In a January 8 missive to Netanyahu, Guterres said the UN cannot stay indifferent to “actions taken by Israel, which are successful nonstop contravention of the obligations of Israel nether planetary law. They indispensable beryllium reversed without delay.”

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Israel’s parliament passed a instrumentality successful October 2024 banning UNRWA from operating successful Israel and prohibiting Israeli officials from having interaction with the agency. It past amended the instrumentality past period to prohibition energy oregon h2o to UNRWA facilities.

Israeli authorities besides seized UNRWA’s occupied East Jerusalem offices past month. The UN considers East Jerusalem occupied by Israel. Israel considers each of Jerusalem to beryllium portion of the country.

Guterres said that UNRWA is “an integral portion of the United Nations”, and highlighted that “Israel remains nether an work to accord UNRWA and its unit the privileges and immunities specified successful the 1946 Convention connected the Privileges and Immunities of the UN”.

The convention states that “the premises of the United Nations shall beryllium inviolable”.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, dismissed Guterres’s missive to Netanyahu.

“We are not fazed by the Secretary-General’s threats,” Danon said successful a station connected X connected Tuesday.

“Instead of dealing with the undeniable engagement of UNRWA unit successful terrorism, the Secretary-General chooses to endanger Israel. This is not defending planetary law, this is defending an enactment marred by terrorism,” helium added.

Israel has agelong sought the dissolution of UNRWA, which was created by the UN General Assembly successful 1949 pursuing the warfare surrounding the founding of Israel. It has since provided aid, wellness and acquisition to millions of Palestinians successful Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

Israel has alleged that a twelve of the agency’s employees were progressive successful the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks connected confederate Israel, successful which 1,139 radical were killed, and astir 240 were taken into Gaza arsenic captives.

In effect to the attack, Israel launched a devastating genocidal warfare against the Palestinian radical of Gaza, sidesplitting much than 71,400, according to Gaza’s wellness authorities.

The UN has said that 9 UNRWA unit who whitethorn person been progressive successful the Hamas-led onslaught connected Israel person been fired. A Hamas commandant successful Lebanon, killed successful September by Israel, was besides recovered to person had a UNRWA job.

The UN has besides promised to analyse each accusations made against UNRWA, and has repeatedly asked Israel for evidence, which it says has not been provided.

According to a January 5 UN report, Israel’s warfare connected Gaza has killed 382 UNRWA employees successful the enclave, which is the highest fig of UN casualties since the satellite assemblage was founded successful 1945. Some person been killed successful Israel’s deliberate, repeated attacks connected UNRWA hospitals and schools, which structure much than 1 cardinal displaced Palestinians successful Gaza.

Top UN officials and the UN Security Council person described UNRWA arsenic the backbone of the assistance effect successful Gaza, wherever Israel’s warfare has unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

In October 2025, the ICJ reiterated Israel’s work to guarantee afloat respect for the privileges and immunities accorded to the UN, including UNRWA and its personnel, and said Israel should guarantee the basal needs of the civilian colonisation successful Gaza are met.

The ICJ sentiment was requested by the 193-member UN General Assembly.

Advisory opinions of the ICJ, besides known arsenic the World Court, transportation ineligible and governmental weight, but they are not binding, and the tribunal has nary enforcement power.