Belize condemns Israel’s move to ban UNRWA in Gaza

Belize has strongly condemned Israel’s decision to withdraw its request to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which dates back to 1967.

This condemnation follows Israel’s recent passage of two bills that aim to sever all contact between the Israeli government and UNRWA, as well as bar the agency from operating within Israel. By issuing this firm and unequivocal stance, Belize is signaling its support for Palestinian refugees and the vital work of UNRWA, which has been providing humanitarian aid and services to Palestinian refugees since 1949. The move by Israel to restrict the agency’s activities is seen as part of its broader efforts to limit international assistance to Palestinians and undermine the agency’s role in addressing the refugee crisis.

“Belize firmly and unequivocally condemns this latest illegal action of the state of Israel and calls on the international community and all members of the United Nations to ensure that UNWRA is not dismantled and that international humanitarian law is adhered to. “There must at the very least be a total ban on the sale or transfer of arms to Israel, and means must be found to take life-saving aid to the Palestinian people. Israel can no longer simply be allowed to exterminate a people,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in a statement.