October 23, 2025 — New York, NY
American Jewish Committee (AJC) is concerned by the irresponsible Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) yesterday, which dismisses concerns over UNRWA’s unacceptable track record in Gaza. Despite this regrettable development, AJC is urging continued cooperation and coordination with Israel from all stakeholders involved in implementing the historic October 10, 2025, ceasefire agreement to ensure that Palestinian civilians in Gaza receive the humanitarian aid they require, including through responsible United Nations entities, in ways that fully respect Israel’s legitimate security concerns.
Israel’s legitimate concerns regarding UNRWA, glaringly epitomized by the participation of UNRWA staff in the October 7, 2023, terror attack against Israelis and subsequent holding of hostages, also include UNRWA’s inability to prevent Hamas from using its facilities and the agency’s longstanding use of educational curricula that delegitimize and promote hatred of Israelis and Jews.
The Advisory Opinion dismisses Israel’s legitimate concerns, pointing to the UN’s firing of nine UNRWA personnel for their participation in the October 7 terror attack as proof that bias affected only a small number of the organization’s staff and misleadingly asserting that the organization took “quick action” to address allegations of wrongdoing – when, in fact, a full ten months elapsed between the direct participation of UN staff in a terrorist attack and their termination from UN employment.
The ICJ also points to the UN’s perfunctory claim that it is “taking action to implement” the recommendations of the Colonna Report as proof that systematic flaws in UNRWA’s operations have been adequately resolved. However, despite these assertions, the agency has not adopted fundamental necessary reforms to address the report’s findings, which validated concerns about UNRWA’s politicization, use of biased textbooks, and Hamas and other terror groups’ ‘misuse’ of its facilities.
AJC welcomes the significant and ongoing efforts made by the Israeli government and international organizations, including the UN, to ensure Palestinian civilians in Gaza receive much-needed humanitarian aid at scale, particularly since the October 10 agreement. The international community has an important role to play in securing a positive post-war future that addresses humanitarian needs in Gaza, recognizes Israel’s legitimate security objectives, and advances regional stability.
At this pivotal moment for the future of Israel-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab cooperation, this non-binding advisory opinion that is divorced from facts on the ground must not distract those committed to a better future for the Middle East from the urgent tasks at hand. President Trump’s 20-Point Plan represents the most concrete roadmap toward peace in a generation, and to enter this next chapter, the international community must be unified in its support for the process and its commitment to push back against extremism.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.
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