Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari. Photo courtesy Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Delivered by Qatar’s ambassador to the Netherlands, the memorandum demands that Israel “commit to allowing the United Nations and other international organizations to operate in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories,” including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.
International organizations include the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and other humanitarian organizations.
It calls on Israel to “respect and protect the property” of these organizations, including schools, medical facilities, transport, and water infrastructure, and to safeguard their employees, particularly those in humanitarian and medical fields.
The document also stresses that Israel must facilitate relief programmes and the distribution of life-saving aid in the occupied Palestinian territories, including food, clothing, and medical supplies, without obstructing the work of the UN and other humanitarian agencies.
It further calls for the repeal of an Israeli law passed on 28 October 2024 that bans UNRWA operations in Israel and East Jerusalem and bars Israeli authorities from engaging with the agency.
Qatar’s foreign ministry expressed confidence that the court’s opinion would help clarify these legal issues and secure Palestinian livelihoods and their inalienable right to self-determination.
In a separate statement to Qatar News Agency, Maryam Al Misnad, Doha’s minister of state for international cooperation, reaffirmed the country’s support for UNRWA and the Palestinian people.
She said: “UNRWA has been providing basic services and vital needs to millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria,” warning that banning the agency’s activities would have grave humanitarian and political consequences.
The memorandum comes amid growing international scrutiny of Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian access to the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel has maintained a total siege on Gaza since launching its genocidal war on the territory on 7 October 2023. Meanwhile, Israeli assaults in the occupied West Bank since 21 January have displaced nearly 37,000 Palestinians and severely disrupted access to clean water and humanitarian aid.
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