Executive Committee Condemns Israeli Plan to Target Palestinians and UNRWA

RAMALLAH: The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by President Mahmoud Abbas, convened to denounce an Israeli plan aimed at displacing Palestinians and undermining the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The committee underscored the ongoing conflict and international inaction in the face of what it described as a genocidal war against Palestinians, particularly in the Gaza Strip, and called for unified Palestinian resistance against the occupation. According to Maan News Agency, the Executive Committee emphasized that the violence in northern Gaza, attributed to a "generals' plan" to displace Palestinians, is part of a broader strategy to perpetuate occupation and colonialism. The committee affirmed the unity of Palestinian territories and rejected any future plans that undermine Palestinian sovereignty, stressing the Palestine Liberation Organization's role as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, with the Palestinian National Authority responsible for all occupied territories. The committee also condemned Israeli laws affecting UNRWA, including the Israel Land Authority's decision to seize UNRWA headquarters in occupied Jerusalem. It characterized this as a challenge to international laws and UN resolutions that protect humanitarian organizations. The committee criticized these actions as efforts to dismantle UNRWA, undermine its mandate, and erase Palestinian refugee status, further complicating any potential political solution. The Executive Committee warned of the repercussions if the Israeli Knesset passes laws impeding UNRWA's operations in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Jerusalem. Such actions, it argued, would impact over 110,000 Palestinian refugees in Jerusalem and threaten the humanitarian response in Palestine, where UNRWA's activities are crucial. The committee reiterated that Israel's occupation government aims to dismantle UNRWA through legislation that violates General Assembly resolutions. It stated tha t the Israel Land Authority's decision to repurpose land in Jerusalem for settlement is legally invalid, as determined by the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion. The Executive Committee called on the international community to support UNRWA and counter Israeli measures that threaten the agency's mission. It emphasized the need for immediate intervention to prevent these destructive steps, protect UNRWA's facilities, and hold Israel accountable for its actions against the agency and its employees. In closing, the committee approved an action plan to resist Israeli measures against UNRWA and ensure the agency and Palestinian refugees are protected. The plan aims to preserve UNRWA's mandate and counter attempts to undermine its operations.