UNRWA intends to expand its partnerships with other UN agencies and international
organizations to address the financial crisis of the Agency. This approach constitutes an actual
implementation of the strategy to disrupt UNRWA, as per pressure applied to it by the US
and other allies complicit in Israel’s colonization. The strategy aims to first, transfer UNRWA’s
responsibilities to host countries, and/or UN agencies and international organizations, and to
second, end the political dimension of the Palestinian refugee issue and limit it to humanitarian
needs.175
Importantly, UNRWA is at the center of these attacks because it acts as an international
institutional reminder to Israel and the international community of the continued existence
of Palestinian refugees and of Israeli violations and crimes. By disparaging UNRWA, the goal
is to close the chapter on the Palestinian refugee issue and remove the topic from the political
discourse of the international community.
1.3.6. Increased Israeli Impunity
Despite the extensive evidence that Israel is carrying out systematic violations against
the Palestinian people and is subjecting them to a system of apartheid, no international
accountability measure has been implemented to date. As described by UN High Commissioner
for Human Right Michelle Bachelet, Israel enjoys a culture of global impunity,176 which is a
consequence of several factors.
Israel and its allies aggressively orchestrate strategic efforts to shut down any criticism of
its racist policies and to rather persuade states, international organizations, and individuals
that there is no substance to garner such discussions. In 2021, following the ICC’s decision
to open an inquiry into suspected war crimes committed by Israel,177 former Israeli Prime
Minister Netanyahu accused the court of “hypocrisy and antisemitism,” while the foreign
minister referred to it as a “biased institution that has lost all legitimacy.” In agreement, the
US referred to the ICC’s inquiry as an action that “seek[s] to target Israel unfairly” and that
the Court “has no jurisdiction over this matter.”178 Shortly after, Bensouda resigned, and the
inquiry has not advanced much since.179 Israel and its allies had previously embarked on a
similar witch hunt in 2017 following the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western
175
GPRN and others, ‘The GPRN and Palestinian organizations in Palestine and in exile address an open letter to the
UNRWA Advisory Committee in response to the statements of Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini’ (BADIL,
2022) <https://www.badil.org/press-releases/13182.html> accessed 3 October 2022..
176
UN News, ‘Israel: UN rights chief calls for end to “culture of impunity”’ (UN News, 14 May 2022) <https://news.
un.org/en/story/2022/05/1118272> accessed 3 October 2022.
177
UN News, ‘ICC Prosecutor opens probe into alleged crimes in occupied Palestine’ (UN News, 4 March 202) <https://
news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1086342> accessed 3 October 2022.
178
Deutsche Welle (DW), ‘ICC to investigate reported war crimes in Palestinian territories’ (DW, 3 March 2021) <https://
www.dw.com/en/icc-to-investigate-reported-war-crimes-in-palestinian-territories/a-56759912> accessed 3 October
2022.
179
Al Jazeera, ‘ICC to elect new prosecutor after failing to reach consensus’ (Al Jazeera, 12 February 2021) <https://
www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/12/top-icc-job-goes-to-a-vote-after-failure-to-agree-on-prosecutor> accessed 3
October 2022.
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