The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, affirmed that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to exert systematic political pressure aimed directly at eliminating the agency. Lazzarini warned that these moves threaten the vital services on which millions of Palestinian refugee families in various operational areas depend.
The UN official described the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as still tragic, noting during his participation in the Munich Security Conference that the residents there are deprived of the most basic necessities of life. He explained that civilians struggle daily to survive amidst the ongoing war of extermination and the widespread destruction of essential facilities.
Lazzarini highlighted the educational catastrophe in the Strip, stating that children in Gaza have not been able to attend school for more than two consecutive years. He stressed that the continued operation of UNRWA is an urgent necessity to provide healthcare and primary and secondary education, which are fundamental rights that Israel seeks to undermine by targeting the agency.
The Commissioner-General pointed out that Israeli violations of international law included the demolition of the agency's headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem, which he considered a dangerous precedent. He added that these actions fall within a broader plan to end the institutional presence of the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian territories and change the demographic and legal reality.
Regarding the situation in the West Bank, Lazzarini warned of the escalating settler violence and the systematic seizure of Palestinian lands with the support of the occupation authorities. He called on the international community to take urgent action to shed light on these practices before they lead to a complete undermining of the chances for achieving a two-state solution in the future.
Lazzarini recalled international legal obligations, referring to the International Court of Justice's affirmations of Israel's obligation to cooperate with UNRWA and other UN organizations. He considered the storming of UN headquarters a blatant violation of diplomatic immunities, calling on Arab Gulf states to increase their financial and political support to counter Israeli harassment campaigns.
These statements come at a time when relief work faces unprecedented legislative challenges, after the Israeli Knesset approved a law prohibiting UNRWA's activities and preventing official communication with it. This legislation sparked a wave of international condemnation, with Britain and ten allied countries demanding the opening of crossings and an end to the demolitions that affected the agency's facilities last month.
On the other hand, field reports documented that ministers in the occupation government, including Itamar Ben-Gvir, directly incited the destruction of UNRWA properties. The agency continues to provide its services to millions of refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem, despite all the field and legal obstacles imposed by the occupation to disrupt its humanitarian role.
Israel continues its political pressure to eliminate UNRWA, and we witnessed the demolition of our headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem.
שתף את דעתך
Lazzarini warns of systematic Israeli efforts to liquidate 'UNRWA' and destroy its services