Amman, Jan. 14 (Petra) - Secretary-General of the Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs (RCJA), Abdullah Kanaan, stated UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres' threat to refer Israel to the International Court of Justice over its escalating actions against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) represents a "genuine awakening of international legitimacy".

Kanaan added that this stance is also "a victory for the rights of the Palestinian people in facing Israeli policies of injustice and oppression."

In a statement to "Petra", Kanaan added that the Israeli occupation has waged an open war on UNRWA, mainly destruction, confiscation, and closure of its facilities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as enacting racist and apartheid-like legislation.

The key instance was the legislation issued in October 2014, which prohibited the agency's operations in the occupied Palestinian territories, before it was amended last month to include a ban on supplying UNRWA facilities with electricity and water, he pointed out.

Kanaan noted these measures are part of a systematic Israeli approach based on annexation, Judaization, and ethnic cleansing, targeting the refugee issue within a plan to displace the Palestinian people from their land and undermine the two-state solution.

On their goal, he said the danger of these policies threaten Palestinian rights and become a direct assault on international legitimacy, its institutions, and laws, in blatant defiance of international obligations.

He noted the escalating international positions and statements condemning the Israeli occupation's policies reflect a growing international discontent with Israel's racist practices.

He stated these Israeli acts threaten international peace and security, particularly in light of the ongoing aggression since October 2023 against the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and the grave violations of international law.

Kanaan said the International Court of Justice issued a clear opinion on October 22, 2015, affirming Israel's obligation to approve relief plans in the Gaza Strip, particularly steps implemented by UNRWA, and facilitate its work without obstruction. He stated that all Israeli measures aimed at restricting the agency are "legally null and void."

He affirmed Jordan will remain the custodian of the historical Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites, a voice of peace in supporting the rights of the Palestinian people.

In this context, he said Amman will also be a consistent advocate for ending to all Israeli practices that impede operations of humanitarian and legitimate institutions aimed to alleviate suffering of the Palestinian people.
//Petra// AG

14/01/2026 16:11:12