LETTERS: The world is witnessing a new phase of oppression of the Palestinians as pro-Israel countries stop their donations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
This came following accusations that some UNRWA staff were involved in the Oct 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Israel's continued killing of Gazans despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering it to stop its genocidal acts and some countries' decisions to act on the accusations spread by the Zionist regime about the UNRWA once again exposes an apartheid mindset.
This latest development proves once more that this is not just about Hamas, but the continued suppression and oppression of Palestinians that has been going on since the creation of the UNRWA in December 1949, more than a year after the establishment of Israel.
With the latest move, Israel and the countries involved are preventing the agency from providing education, healthcare and aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The UNRWA helps about two-thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million population and continues to assist Palestinians after Israel started its indiscriminate bombing in the territory.
Countries that have accepted Israeli accusations against the UN agency include the United States, Britain, Australia, Finland, Canada, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
These countries must be a cynical bunch as the world is aware of the consequences of their actions, which will worsen the plight of Gazans facing starvation and health crises, especially during winter.
According to news reports, several UNRWA staffers were alleged to have been involved in the Oct 7 attacks in Israel and the agency has terminated their employment, pending investigations into their involvement.
These countries' swift decisions to withhold funds for the UN agency stand in stark contrast against their stand not to ask Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza.
One should ask whether this can be seen as supporting Israel's genocidal acts. If that is the case, the move against the UNRWA insults and belittles the ICJ decision.
The death toll in Gaza, now over 26,000, will surely increase with the freezing of funds to help Palestinians.
We should thank a UN expert for warning that countries that stop funding the UNRWA could be violating the international genocide convention.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, said the move "overtly defies" the ICJ's order to allow effective humanitarian assistance to Gazans.
An AFP report quoted her as saying: "The day after ICJ concluded that Israel is plausibly committing genocide in Gaza, some states decided to defund UNRWA.
"By doing so, countries are collectively punishing millions of Palestinians at the most critical time, and most likely violating their obligations under the Genocide Convention."
Malaysia and like-minded countries should support what Albanese said.
WAN AHMAD HUSSEIN
Bangi, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times