The gravity of Israel’s ban on UNRWA

The gravity of Israel’s ban on UNRWA

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, was this week ordered to stop its operations in occupied East Jerusalem, three months after Israel’s parliament voted to ban it.

UNRWA is the main provider of humanitarian aid and other public services for Palestinians. In East Jerusalem, it runs 12 facilities that provide critical public services, including schools where more than 1,200 children are enrolled and free clinics that serve more than 70,000 people.

But the impact of the ban would extend across the West Bank as well, where the organisation offers primary healthcare services and 47,000 children go to UNRWA schools. The move would also affect its work in Gaza. During Israel's war on the enclave, up to a million people at a time have sought refuge in UNRWA shelters.

Pressure from the international community and pleas by UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini at the UN Security Council to stop the ban from being put into effect have failed so far. Israel insisted the ban would not be reversed and the US backed its “sovereign decision”, saying UNRWA is not the only provider of aid to Palestinians.

Despite the legislation, UNRWA has stated it will continue to do its work for as long as it can, but fears are growing that the ban will have far-reaching consequences.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Tamara Alrifai, UNRWA's director of external relations and communications, about the toll this could take on Palestinians in dire need of humanitarian assistance, and how the agency will be able to carry out its work going forward.

Avsnitt(478)

Ep 4. The Blast - Fallout

Ep 4. The Blast - Fallout

In the final episode, we follow the volunteers who took to the shattered streets of Beirut in the hours and days after the explosion of August 4, 2020. Host Finbar Anderson delves into the ongoing inv...

5 Aug 202137min

Ep 3. The Blast - Zero Hour

Ep 3. The Blast - Zero Hour

In Episode 3 of The Blast, The National’s Finbar Anderson recounts the day of the explosion. As The fire in Warehouse 12 grows in intensity, a fire crew arrives to try to tackle the blaze, but it’s li...

4 Aug 202127min

Ep 2. The Blast - The Six-Year Wait

Ep 2. The Blast - The Six-Year Wait

In Episode 2 of The Blast, The National’s Finbar Anderson and Sunniva Rose head down to the docks of Beirut port. They try to piece together what was happening in the six years the ammonium nitrate sa...

3 Aug 202131min

Ep 1. The Blast - The Russian and The Rhosus

Ep 1. The Blast - The Russian and The Rhosus

On August 4, 2020 the heart of Beirut was ripped apart by a huge explosion caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate detonating at the city’s port. The National’s Finbar Anderson was one of the thou...

2 Aug 202127min

The Blast from Beyond the Headlines

The Blast from Beyond the Headlines

On August 4, 2020 the heart of Beirut was ripped apart by a huge explosion caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate detonating at the city’s port. The National’s Finbar Anderson was one of the thous...

1 Aug 202129s

Is France's anti-separatism law anti-Muslim?

Is France's anti-separatism law anti-Muslim?

An IT technician facing the sack for discussing voting habits at work or parents barred from home schooling their children.   It sounds pretty dystopian, but activists say a new French law may bring t...

29 Juli 202123min

Why some Saudis stop everything to volunteer at Hajj

Why some Saudis stop everything to volunteer at Hajj

Every year in Saudi Arabia, as the time of the pilgrimage to Makkah nears, thousands of people from the city and around the country gather to volunteer for Hajj. Often these people will give up their ...

20 Juli 202113min

Will Iraq's power problem ever end?

Will Iraq's power problem ever end?

Iraq’s summer is crippling the country. People are having to seek refuge indoors to escape scorching temperatures that regularly reach 50°C. But indoors isn’t much better with regular power blackouts ...

15 Juli 202123min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
motiv
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
blenda-2
fordomspodden
flashback-forever
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-viva-fotboll
aftonbladet-daily
svenska-fall
rss-vad-fan-hande
rss-krimreportrarna
svd-dokumentara-berattelser-2
rss-frandfors-horna
grans
rss-aftonbladet-krim
rss-flodet
olyckan-inifran
spar