Israel votes to ban UN Palestinian aid agency, drawing outcry
Israel passed a law on Monday banning the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in the country, legislation that could impact its work in war-torn Gaza, Reuters reported.
According to the UN website, in the statement of the Secretary-General on Israeli legislation on UNRWA, Antonio Guterres said he is "deeply concerned by the adoption today by the Knesset of Israel of two laws concerning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)."
"The implementation of the laws could have devastating consequences for Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which is unacceptable. I call on Israel to act consistently with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and its other obligations under international law, including under international humanitarian law and those concerning privileges and immunities of the United Nations," he said.
"If UNRWA goes away, you will see civilians - including children, including babies - not be able to get access to food and water and medicine that they need to live. We find that unacceptable," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also criticized, the Times of Israel reported.
UNRWA has existed even during peacetime, indicating that the livelihoods of Palestinian people require external support, and now in the current situation, its role has become even more crucial, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.
"If Israel proceeds to ban this agency's operations, it would further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," Liu said.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has surpassed 43,000, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday citing Gaza-based health authorities.
From an international law perspective, Israel's disregard for the UN's authority manifests in concrete actions, such as shredding the charter of the UN and banning UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country, Liu said.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.