Israel severs relations with seven agencies linked to the UN

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the rupture affects, among others, UN Women and the Alliance of Civilizations. The statement states that Israel will “immediately cut off all contact” with the listed entities.

Israel will also no longer maintain relations with the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict. The Foreign Ministry classified the measure as a response to Israel’s inclusion, in 2024, on the list of countries that commit “very serious violations” of children’s rights in armed conflicts. The Israeli government argues that “Israel is the only democratic country that appears on the list, alongside the Islamic State and Boko Haram”. Regarding UN Women, Israel claims that the organization ignored reports of sexual violence that occurred during the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023. In turn, the UN Alliance of Civilizations was classified by the Israeli government as a “platform for attacks” against the country.

Also included in Israel’s decision were the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. According to the statement, Israel accuses both of publishing “anti-Israeli reports” on a recurring basis.

Israel also severed relations with UN Energy and the Global Forum on Migration and Development, a body that, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, “undermines the ability of sovereign countries to apply their own immigration laws”.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs also warned that other international organizations are under analysis and that similar measures could be adopted soon.

The announcement comes after the Israeli Parliament approved, on December 30 last year, a legal reform that declared the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees illegal in Israel. Based on the new legislation, the agency lost its immunity in the country, had assets embargoed and facilities expropriated in East Jerusalem.

Three weeks before the law was passed, Israeli police and municipal officials had already entered UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem and replaced the UN flag with the Israeli flag, according to official records.

The legislation also prohibited the provision of telecommunications services to UNRWA, equating it with restrictions applied to basic services, in addition to blocking the agency’s financial operations, as detailed by the Israeli government.