The International Commission “ICSPR” Condemns the U.S. Department of Justice Decision to Lift Immunity from UNRWA and Calls on the International Court of Justice and the International Community to Protect Civilians and the Work of International Organizations

Date: April 28, 2025

Press Release

The International Commission “ICSPR” Condemns the U.S. Department of Justice Decision to Lift Immunity from UNRWA and Calls on the International Court of Justice and the International Community to Protect Civilians and the Work of International Organizations

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) is following with great concern the escalation of Israeli and American violations and crimes against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), including deliberate demonization, prohibition of its work, and cessation of its funding. These attacks have targeted UNRWA staff, facilities, schools, health centers, and relief centers in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories. They are part of systematic plans aimed at liquidating the Palestinian refugee issue. The latest of these actions is the decision issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on April 26, 2025, to lift the legal immunity of UNRWA, paving the way for lawsuits to be filed against it in American courts, in clear violation of the immunities and privileges granted to the United Nations and its agencies.
This decision represents an application of the law of the jungle, a blatant breach of international law, and is consistent with previous U.S. steps of withdrawing from international treaties and organizations, assaulting the International Criminal Court, and cutting off funding to UNRWA. It comes at a time when the Israeli occupation is escalating its genocide war in the Gaza Strip, imposing collective punishments, and blocking the entry of humanitarian aid for the 57th consecutive day. It coincides with systematic crimes against international organizations, particularly UNRWA, which has been subjected to a campaign of false accusations regarding alleged involvement of some of its employees in the events of October 7th and the supposed use of its facilities by Palestinian resistance factions. However, investigations led by the UN Secretary-General have proven these allegations to be false.
The Israeli occupation has used these claims to justify carrying out more than 453 military attacks on UNRWA facilities, resulting in the killing and injury of hundreds of forcibly displaced persons who sought refuge in these facilities. Over 600,000 forcibly displaced civilians have sheltered in UNRWA centers, many of which have been completely or partially destroyed, with horrific massacres committed against civilians inside these shelters.

Simultaneously, the occupation continues to exacerbate the humanitarian disaster by imposing collective punishments and strict restrictions on the work of relief organizations, including the services provided by UNRWA, which is the largest humanitarian aid provider in the Gaza Strip. This occurs alongside the looming famine threatening more than 2.3 million citizens due to the ongoing closure of crossings since March 1st, the prevention of the entry of urgent humanitarian aid, and the suspension of all international coordination mechanisms for relief delivery. Consequently, humanitarian organizations’ food stocks have been exhausted, severely disrupting their vital operations to save civilians now dying from bombing, starvation, thirst, and the spread of diseases and epidemics.

The International Commission “ICSPR”, while condemning in the strongest terms the U.S. biased stance supporting the Israeli occupation — by providing all kinds of weapons and political and financial cover enabling Israel to continue committing genocide and ethnic cleansing crimes against civilians and obstructing international efforts to enforce humanitarian justice —
considers the ongoing hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to be of utmost importance. These hearings address the Israeli-imposed restrictions on UNRWA’s work and the legal consequences of these restrictions on UN agencies, with the participation of 40 states and 4 international organizations.
The ICJ’s advisory opinion in this matter will be binding on Israel, unlike previous advisory opinions, based on Article 8 of the 1946 United Nations Convention on Privileges and Immunities, which stipulates that “in case of a dispute between a Member State and the United Nations, an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice shall be obtained and accepted as final by the parties.” Since Israel is a party to the convention, it is obligated to lift its restrictions on UNRWA and resume humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

Moreover, this could pave the way for compensation for the damages inflicted by Israel on UNRWA and its staff. This was among the points highlighted in the briefing note sent by ICSPR to international and regional organizations and countries worldwide, urging them to fulfill their roles in promoting humanitarian work, confronting the crimes of the Israeli occupation and the United States, and protecting and supporting UNRWA.
Accordingly, ICSPR emphasizes and demands the following:

• ICSPR calls on the International Court of Justice to confront Israel’s decisions to prohibit and obstruct the work of UNRWA, to condemn and criminalize the attacks on its staff and facilities, and to rule for compensation to the agency. Additionally, ICSPR demands the condemnation and criminalization of any violations of UNRWA’s immunities and privileges, including the decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to lift UNRWA’s immunity, and to consider this decision a violation of international law and a blatant bias towards the occupation at the expense of Palestinian legitimate rights.

• ICSPR urges the International Court of Justice and the international community to act urgently to implement international law, principles of justice, and international conventions, and to confront the Israeli crimes and American policies aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause and establishing the rule of lawlessness.

• ICSPR appeals to international institutions, humanitarian organizations, and freedom-loving people worldwide to strengthen solidarity with the Palestinian people, to act immediately to end the genocide, ensure the flow of humanitarian aid, and to support the continued work and funding of UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies operating in the Gaza Strip, in order to save civilian lives and provide international protection to Palestinians.

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