Attacks on UNRWA Aim to Remove Palestinian Refugee Status

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Published Jun 22, 2024

Briefing by Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini said, “Let's be clear, the attacks against UNRWA are not about neutrality. The reason behind it is to strip the Palestinian refugees from their refugee status.”

Briefing the Security Council today (17 Apr) on Gaza, Lazzarini said, “Across the border, food and clean water wait. But UNRWA is denied permission to deliver this aid and save lives. This outrage is occurring despite consecutive orders by the International Court of Justice to increase the flow of aid into Gaza – which can be done if there is sufficient political will. You have the power to make the difference.”

He also said, “The Agency is under enormous strain. It is facing a campaign to push it out of the occupied Palestinian territory. In Gaza, the government of Israel seeks to end UNRWA’s activities. The Agency’s requests to deliver aid to the north are repeatedly denied. Our staff are barred from coordination meetings between Israel and humanitarian actors. Worse, UNRWA premises and staff have been targeted since the beginning of the war.”

He continued, “We demand an independent investigation and accountability for the blatant disregard for the protected status of humanitarian workers, operations, and facilities under international law. To do otherwise would set a dangerous precedent and compromise humanitarian work around the world.”

He stressed, “The Agency exists because a political solution does not. It exists in lieu of a State that can deliver critical public services. The international community has long attempted to contain, rather than resolve, the Israel-Palestine conflict. Lip-service is paid to the two-state solution each time an escalation occurs, costing lives and hope.”

He stated, “UNRWA has long been a custodian of the rights of Palestine Refugees. It can only relinquish its central role of providing critical services and protecting human rights when a political solution is realized. Until then, the political support of Member States must be matched by funding.”