UNRWA chief warns of 'catastrophic consequences' of Israeli ban on agency
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that a recent Israeli law, which aims to dismantle UNRWA activities across the occupied Palestinian territory, could lead to "catastrophic consequences" and threaten the stability of the region.
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of UNRWA said on Wednesday that the law could impact millions of Palestinians who rely on the agency's services for education, healthcare, and basic needs.
Lazzarini's warning highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the situation has become increasingly dire, exacerbated by violence and conflict.
The UN official added that dismantling UNRWA in Gaza, which relies heavily on the agency’s infrastructure, will cause the United Nations’ humanitarian response to collapse
Highlights from my address to the UN 🇺🇳 General Assembly today:
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) November 13, 2024
📌 The risk of the Agency’s collapse threatens the lives and futures of people and communities, the region’s stability, and the integrity of our multilateral system.
📌 UNRWA is mandated to directly provide basic…
He further noted that the agency plays a critical role in providing education to over 660,000 children and primary health care to approximately half a million Palestinian refugees, adding that dismantling UNRWA could lead to a lost generation and foster conditions that might breed “extremism and marginalization.”
“In the West Bank, UNRWA’s collapse would deprive at least 50,00 children of education, and half a million Palestine Refugees of primary healthcare,” he added.
Lazzarini reiterated his earlier appeals to UN member states to take all possible measures to stop the enforcement of Israel's ban and to continue financial support for UNRWA.
He described Israel's actions against the agency as a sign of a larger threat to the United Nations and the multilateral framework it supports, warning the moves pose risks to the lives and futures of individuals and communities.
“The United Nations and its staff are in an increasingly untenable position; if the legal and political framework within which we operate does not hold, we cannot stay and deliver,” the UN official said.
Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA staff of cooperating with members of the Palestinian Hamas resistance group, without providing any proof of the claims, while lobbying hard to have UNRWA closed as it is the only UN agency to have a specific mandate to look after the basic needs of Palestinian refugees.
This comes as UNRWA warned on Saturday that the the humanitarian situation in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating, and famine is imminent in areas within the northern Gaza Strip.
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