United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel could face action at the International Court of Justice if it does not repeal legislation targeting the UN Palestinian refugee agency and return seized assets.
In a January 8 letter, Guterres said the UN cannot remain indifferent to measures he described as violations of Israel’s obligations under international law and called for them to be reversed without delay.
Israel’s parliament passed a law in October 2024 banning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East from operating in the country and prohibiting Israeli officials from contacting the agency. The legislation was later amended to cut electricity and water supplies to its facilities. Authorities also seized the agency’s offices in East Jerusalem, which the United Nations considers occupied territory, while Israel regards Jerusalem as its unified capital.
Guterres stated that UNRWA is an integral part of the UN and emphasized that Israel remains bound by the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which declares UN premises inviolable.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, dismissed the warning, saying the country would not be deterred by the Secretary-General’s threats.
AJE