Arab Parliament: Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed Ahmed Al-Yamahi has called on global parliaments to take urgent steps to counter the Israeli attempts to dismantle the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

According to Saudi Press Agency, Al-Yamahi highlighted the gravity of these moves in messages sent to parliamentary leaders worldwide. He stated that these attempts aim to erase UNRWA’s role and undermine the rights of Palestinian refugees, especially their internationally recognized right of return.

He emphasized that UNRWA is a cornerstone of the international community’s commitment to Palestinian refugees’ rights and heritage. Efforts to eliminate the agency, he argued, represent a broader strategy to nullify the refugees’ right to return, contravening international law and United Nations resolutions.

Al-Yamahi urged global cooperation to safeguard UNRWA’s mission and ensure that it continues to provide essential services as mandated under UN Resolution 194 of 1948. H
e underscored this resolution’s importance to regional stability and the pursuit of a just, comprehensive peace, stating that there is no viable substitute for UNRWA in fulfilling these humanitarian and stabilizing roles.

The Arab Parliament speaker also called upon international and regional parliaments to adopt a unified position in defense of UNRWA. He encouraged their respective governments to apply diplomatic pressure on Israeli authorities to halt these actions.

He further appealed for a ‘robust commitment to upholding international legitimacy, adherence to international law, and the cessation of prolonged violence and human rights violations against unarmed civilians, which have continued unabated for over a year’.