into a nominal agency which is functionally ineffective, just like the
UNCCP.
There is an opportunity to mobilize an absolute majority of UNGA
member states, even excluding European Union member states
(which will likely object to and/or abstain from voting) to support a
UN resolution to expand UNRWA’s mandate, secure its budget, and
explicitly provide that it take on the responsibility for enforcing the
provisions of Resolution 194 in its capacity as a functional agency.
Submitting a draft resolution on these grounds ensures a strategic
response to the US-Israeli strategy.
On the basis of its belief in the need for integrated political and
popular action, BADIL is of the view that the PLO should submit a
draft resolution to the UNGA, supported by an international advocacy
campaign, international solidarity movements and Palestinian popular
action. Accordingly, BADIL believes that this draft resolution should
be strategic and encompass both the rights of the Palestinian people and
the obligations of the international community.
The draft resolution should include the following:
Reaffirm that UNRWA is an international agency with a permanent
mandate until such time as UNGA Resolution 194 of 1948 and
UNSC Resolution 237 of 1967 are put into effect.15
2. Transfer the UNCCP mandate and files to UNRWA. Practically,
this requires:
a)
Expansion of UNRWA’s personal mandate; that is, revising the
definition of the Palestinian refugee and IDP on the grounds
of being subjected to displacement and/or persecution under
international refugee law and not based on need. Accordingly,
UNRWA’s mandate will cover all registered and unregistered
Palestinian refugees (7.4 million), including those displaced
in 1967, IDPs in the aftermath of the 1967 war (approx.
250,000), and IDPs inside the Green Line (approx. 385,000).
1.
15
BADIL Resource Center for Residency and Refugee Rights, Terry Rempel, The
UN Works and Relief Agency (UNRWA) and a Durable Solution for Palestinian
Refugees, Brief No 6, 2000. Available at: http://badil.org/phocadownload/Badil_
docs/bulletins-and-briefs/Brief-No.6.pdf
19
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