UNRWA chief says agency closure will ‘increase instability and deepen despair’ in occupied Palestinian territory. UNRWA chief at UN Security Council: agency closure will undermine Gaza ceasefire Peace and Security
New Israeli laws banning the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) are set to come into force on Thursday. They will “increase instability and deepen despair” in the occupied Palestinian territory, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General told the Security Council on Tuesday.
Philippe Lazzarini has warned that laws passed by the Israeli Knesset last October put the lives of millions of Palestinians at risk and risk undermining the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. They would end UNRWA operations in the State of Israel, the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, and restrict any contact by Israeli officials with the agency or anyone acting on its behalf.
“Curtailing our operations now – outside the political process – would undermine the ceasefire. This move will hinder the reconstruction of Gaza and political reforms,” Lazzarini said, calling for “decisive intervention” by the Security Council to maintain peace and stability in the occupied Palestinian territory and the region as a whole.
The consequences will be “catastrophic”
Lazzarini stressed that full implementation of the laws passed by the Knesset would have “catastrophic” consequences. In Gaza, halting UNRWA operations would jeopardize the international humanitarian response, he said, adding that it would also weaken the capacity of the United Nations at a time when humanitarian assistance needs to be scaled up.
UNRWA’s Unique Role
UNRWA was established by the General Assembly to provide humanitarian and other basic services to Palestinian refugees until a political solution is reached. Lazzarini stressed that the agency’s functions cannot be outsourced to other organizations, since UNRWA’s scale of operations and its trusting relationships with local communities are unrivaled.
“UNRWA’s very presence on the ground guarantees a measure of stability in a context of profound uncertainty,” he said. – Closing the agency would sabotage Gaza’s recovery and any prospects for peace.”
According to him, if the agency were to close, 70,000 patients in East Jerusalem alone would lose access to health care and about a thousand schoolchildren would be unable to continue their education.
Financial and political challenges
The situation is exacerbated by serious financial problems, as key donors are cutting or suspending contributions to UNRWA.
The head of the agency also drew attention to the “disinformation campaign” carried out by the Israeli authorities with the aim of accusing UNRWA of supporting terrorism. This kind of propaganda, he says, damages the agency’s reputation and puts its employees at risk.