Slovenia's senior officials have voiced concern about the Israeli parliament's decision to pass legislation banning the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This is a massive blow to international law and the UN Charter, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said before President Nataša Pirc Musar and Prime Minister Robert Golob joined her in condemning Israel's move.

Accusing the agency of colluding with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, the Knesset moved to ban UNRWA from operating within Israel and occupied East Jerusalem within three months, which would severely limit the organisation's ability to operate in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It also passed another law declaring UNRWA a terror group.

"The legislation on UNRWA passed in the Knesset is a carte blanche for deepening the already dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza and further suffering of Palestinians," Fajon said late on 28 October, the day of the Israeli parliament's 92-10 vote.

"Preventing the agency from working opens the door to further destabilisation of the situation and seriously jeopardises the prospect of a two-state solution.

"We therefore reiterate our call on Israel to respect the UN Charter and the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly in order to ensure the undisrupted implementation of the agency's mandate," Fajon added.

Reactions from other top officials followed on 29 October, when Pirc Musar wrote on X she was "appalled by the Israeli Parliament vote to ban the operation of UNRWA in the occupied Palestinian territory".

"It is the state of Israel that has been displacing Palestinian refugees ever since 1948 to date and it is UNRWA providing humanitarian, medical, educational and all other relief to generations of them. Israel as an occupying power under international humanitarian law has clear legal obligations, which this vote contradicts. The international community must be firm in rejecting any such attempts at further dispossessing Palestinians in the occupied territory," the president wrote on X.

That Israel's decision to ban UNRWA is violating international law was also noted by Slovenia's outgoing EU Commissioner Janez Lenarčič, who is in charge of humanitarian aid, and Prime Minister Golob.

The latter said that the decision will have "dire consequences on the already devastating situation of the Palestinian refugees", while Lenarčič wrote on X: "I condemn this vote by the Knesset. It is against international law, against Israel's obligations and against millions of Palestinians who depend on UNRWA's vital work."

Slovenia's representative in the UN Security Council, Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, also condemned the vote during a Council session on 29 October, saying that if the legislation is implemented, it would constitute a direct violation of Israel's obligations under international law.

He is also concerned about the dire situation in northern Gaza. Pointing out that intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited, he called on Israel to allow unimpeded access for the UN and humanitarian organisations to deliver aid on a larger scale.

Slovenia has been a strong supporter of UNRWA's work since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza and has been stressing the need for the agency's adequate funding.

In July 2024, Slovenia, Jordan and Kuwait initiated the shared commitments on UNRWA, which were backed by 123 countries, including all members of the UN Security Council. Slovenia has also significantly increased its financial contributions to UNRWA in the meantime, with around EUR 2.5 million allocated to the agency since October 2023.

Together with Ireland, Norway and Spain, the Slovenian government vowed on 28 October to continue supporting the agency, as the four countries condemned Israel's vote on UNRWA. All of them recognised a Palestinian state this year.

"The legislation approved by the Knesset sets a very serious precedent for the work of the UN and for all organizations of the multilateral system," the Foreign Ministry wrote on 28 October.

According to the ministry, Slovenia underlines the importance of strict respect for the principles of neutrality and independence of the agency and supports its action plan for the full implementation of the recommendations of the independent review group, led by Catherine Colonna, which were published in April.

The group investigated Israel's allegations that UNRWA had been infiltrated by Hamas and that several of its staff had participated in Hamas's attack on 7 October last year. UNRWA, a major provider of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, denies the allegations but a number of countries have stopped or suspended funding to the agency in response to the accusations.

However, following Israel's latest move, many countries, including Israel's allies such as the US, the UK and Germany, have expressed serious concern about the ban.