Date: 13/12/2025
Abu Holi: The decision obliges Israel to cooperate with UNRWA and comply with the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations
He affirmed that protecting UNRWA’s mandate is protection of the multilateral international system
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The Refugee Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) welcomed the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice regarding Israel’s obligations, as the occupying power, toward the United Nations, international organizations, and other states in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. The request was submitted by Norway and a group of member states.
Dr. Ahmad Abu Holi, member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Refugee Affairs Department, stated that the UN decision obliges Israel to immediately allow the entry of humanitarian aid and to provide basic services to the Gaza Strip, and to comply with all its obligations as the occupying power and as a member of the United Nations by cooperating with UN institutions, including UNRWA, and by adhering to the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
He considered the General Assembly’s decision a major legal and political victory for UNRWA, following the renewal of its mandate for three years until 30 June 2029, affirming that protecting UNRWA’s mandate is protection of the multilateral international system.
He emphasized that the overwhelming majority vote (139 countries) in favor of the resolution sends a clear message to the Israeli occupying state that UNRWA constitutes the backbone of humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip and cannot be dispensed with, replaced, or have its mandate undermined. It also represents a collective response by UN General Assembly member states to the occupying power’s disregard for the UN system and its violations of UN resolutions and the UN Charter, through its storming of the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem, confiscation of its contents, and replacement of the UN flag with the flag of the occupying state—acts that constitute violations of international law, the UN Convention on Privileges and Immunities, and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.
Dr. Abu Holi thanked Norway for submitting the draft resolution and the member states that voted in favor of it, calling for collective action to pressure the Israeli occupation government to implement the resolution and compel it to respect the privileges and immunities granted to UNRWA, protect its staff and facilities, ensure freedom of movement for its vehicles, reopen its headquarters and closed educational facilities in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem, resume its activities in the occupied city, open the crossings, and allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
He also called on the international community to continue supporting UNRWA, protecting its mandate, and ensuring the continuity of its indispensable services until a solution to the Palestinian refugee issue is reached in accordance with Resolution 194. He further urged the UN Secretary-General to decide on the return of international staff—especially UNRWA staff—to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and occupied East Jerusalem, and to allow them to carry out their work from UNRWA headquarters and facilities, as was the case prior to the decision issued last March, in a clear message affirming the United Nations’ refusal to comply with Israeli laws banning UNRWA’s activities and preventing its international and local staff from working.
