Israel’s UNRWA Ban:
What it means for Gaza, the UN and the World

Listen to this webinar as a podcast.

Recorded November 1, 2024

Featuring

Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank

Mona Jebril, Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge

Alexander Smith, JD/MPH/MA, former USAID official (resigned May 2024)

Moderated by: Khaled Elgindy, Middle East Institute &  Lara Friedman, Foundation for Middle East Peace

On Monday, despite warnings by the international community against such a step, Israel’s Knesset voted overwhelmingly to adopt two laws that effectively ban the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN agency that has served the needs of Palestinian refugees since 1949, from operating in Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories (West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem). Since Israel’s war on Gaza began more than a year ago, UNRWA has been the primary provider of urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza, where 2 million people face catastrophic humanitarian conditions, including mass starvation and disease. Numerous governments from across the world, including the Biden administration, have warned that ending UNRWA operations would have far-reaching and disastrous humanitarian consequences, particularly in Gaza. 

To address the background to and implications of Israel’s UNRWA ban — for Palestinians, the wider region, and UN/humanitarian interventions worldwide — the Middle East Institute (MEI) and Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) are pleased to invite you to join a virtual panel discussion.  

Resources

Congressional Research Services (CRS) Report: “The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA): Overview and U.S. Funding Prohibition“ (Updated June 14, 2024) ​​

UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini: “Stop Israel’s Violent Campaign Against Us” (June 30, 2024)

Mona Jebril: “UNRWA As A Proxy Site of Conflict? The Case of the Gaza Strip” (May 2022) 

Lara Friedman: “Taking Issues “Off the Table” – First Jerusalem, Now Refugees” (January 2018) 

Sec. Blinkin & Sec. Austin letter to Netanyahu: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25212303-bqshvt-hmmshl-hamryqny-bhqshrym-hvmnytrym

“UNRWA: Claims Versus Facts” (February 2024) 

Adalah podcast: “Israel’s Legislative Attacks on UNRWA and its Implications for Palestinian Refugees” (October 30, 2024)

FAQs on UNRWA: https://www.unrwa.org/who-we-are/frequently-asked-questions

Lara Friedman: “Legislating the Refugee Problem” (May 2012) 

FMEP podcast  on regional dynamics: “Israel’s Plans for a “New Order” in the Middle East – a conversation with Mouin Rabbani” (October 14, 2024)  

FMEP Podcast ft. Peter Beinart & former UNRWA Spokesman Chris Gunness, “Humanitarian Catastrophe in Gaza, Palestinian Refugees, and the Campaign Against UNRWA” (February 14, 2024). 

International aid organizations put out a global appeal to save UNRWA: “Defend UNRWA from Israeli ban and prevent catastrophic consequences for Palestinians” (October 27, 2024). 

Amnesty International: “ICJ opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful is historic vindication of Palestinians’ rights”

Alexander Smith’s resignation letter and an article on his decision: “He Made a PowerPoint on Mothers Starving in Gaza. Then He Lost his Government Job.” (The Intercept, May 31, 2024)

Panelist short bios

Roland Friedrich has been working on conflict management, peacebuilding, mediation, and security sector governance and reform in the MENA region for more than 18 years. He currently serves as Deputy Director for the West Bank with UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East). From 2020 to 2023, Mr Friedrich served as Senior Peacebuilding Adviser and Director of Programmes at IDLO (International Development Law Organization) where he oversaw the organization’s global rule of law and access to justice portfolio including 19 country offices. From 2014 to 2020, Mr Friedrich served as Chief of Analysis (2017-2020) and Senior Political Officer (2014-2017) at UNSMIL (United Nations Support Mission in Libya). He was responsible for political-military affairs, security arrangements, armed groups engagement, reconciliation, security sector reform, and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR). For six years, Mr Friedrich was deeply involved in UN-led mediation efforts in Libya. From 2005 to 2013, Mr Friedrich was Head of Office for the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) in Palestine where he led a multi-million dollar security sector governance and reform programme. Mr Friedrich also worked as a policy analyst with the Middle East Conflict Management Programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London (2004-2005). He holds an MSc in Middle East Politics (School of Oriental and African Studies, London), an MA in Political Science, International Law, and Spanish (Bonn University), and an Executive MBA (University of Cambridge). Mr Friedrich has written extensively on conflict management, peacebuilding, and security sector governance and reform in the Arab region. He is a fluent Arabic and Spanish speaker and knows French reasonably well.

Mona Jebril is a Palestinian who lived in the Gaza Strip for more than 22 years. She is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, working on the Global Challenge Research Fund project: ‘R4HC- MENA’, which aims to build sustainable capacity, partnerships and research on health in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Palestine (see: https://r4hc-mena.org/). In 2017, Mona completed her PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge, as a Gates Scholar. Shortly after graduation, Mona was invited by the Centre for Science and Policy at Cambridge to join their Network of Evidence and Expertise. Previously, Mona studied for an MSc in Higher Education at the University of Oxford where she won the Said Foundation Second Prize for academic and personal achievement. Dr Jebril has significant experience as a teacher and trainer at state schools and as a lecturer at two of Gaza’s universities. She is also a co-founder of two centres and a scholarship programme in Gaza. Mona has produced four films from her PhD thesis. If you want to learn more about Mona, or watch her films, you are welcome to visit her personal website through this link: https://monajebril.wixsite.com/atthecrossroad

Alexander Smith is a lawyer with a background in global health, human rights, and international humanitarian law. He studied law and public health at Northeastern and Tufts and dedicated 23 years to health and human rights work, including in Afghanistan, Jordan, Sudan, West Africa, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Alex resigned from his Senior Advisor position with USAID after four years of service due to the agency’s policies, inaction, and silencing of speech about health conditions and violations of international law in Gaza. He has since been speaking out on the urgent need to prevent the crime of starvation in Gaza, on CNN, Al Jazeera, and multiple academic forums.