On January 26, 2024, the International Court of Justice at The Hague ordered Israel to stop acts of genocide in Gaza. However, on the same day, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands announced that they were suspending funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Israel had alleged that UNRWA workers were involved in terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas. This decision revealed the collapse of the liberal international order and the disregard for humanitarianism.
The suspension of funding for UNRWA, which has been providing critical aid and assistance to Palestinians for decades, showed that Western powers were no longer acting in the interests of humanity. The reasons for the decision were unclear, with Israel claiming that a hostage reported being held by someone who worked for UNRWA. However, these claims were not independently verified. The withdrawal of support from UNRWA amounted to a declaration that Gazans were sub-human and justified Israel’s collective punishment of civilians.
The decision to suspend aid to UNRWA also undermined the jurisdictional power of the International Court of Justice. The court’s ruling had dared to intervene in the deliberation of human rights, but Western powers chose to disregard it. If the United States had supported the ICJ’s decision instead of turning on UNRWA, it could have repaired relations with the Muslim world and reaffirmed the legitimacy of liberal humanitarian institutions. However, Western powers have instead relied on local and faith-based organizations for humanitarian aid.
The suspension of UNRWA’s funds could lead to a collapse of the already battered aid infrastructure in Gaza. This decision was made on Holocaust Remembrance Day, highlighting the irony that the liberal order, which was meant to prevent such atrocities, is now endangering the principle of “never again.” The disregard for human rights and the denial of basic humanity to Gazans reveal the failure of the postwar liberal consensus that sought to secure human rights globally.
