NEW YORK, (PIC)
UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini urged the world on Wednesday to save it from an Israeli ban that would have “disastrous consequences” for millions of people in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially those caught up in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
Lazzarini told the 193 nations of the UN General Assembly that they must take action to prevent Israel from implementing legislation that prohibits the agency’s operations in the Palestinian territories. The law, adopted by Israel’s parliament last month, takes effect in 90 days.
“Without intervention by member states, UNRWA will collapse, plunging millions of Palestinians into chaos,” Lazzarini warned at a General Assembly session held to highlight the Israeli measure against the agency.
Lazzarini noted that recent legislative moves by the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) target UNRWA as a “war goal” intended to dismantle its services.
He said the measure goes beyond undermining UNRWA’s mission, aiming to “end Palestinians’ right to self-determination and aspiration for a just political solution” by “shifting unilaterally long-established parameters for resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict.”
Lazzarini described the Gaza Strip as a “dystopian horror,” devastated by “the most intense bombardment of a civilian population since World War II.”
Saying that humanitarian aid has been severely restricted, Lazzarini said the obstructions have led to widespread deprivation.
“Palestinians are being burned and buried alive by airstrikes,” while brutal sieges, attacks on hospitals and detention of men and boys in undisclosed locations further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he said.
Highlighting the spread of violence in the occupied West Bank, Lazzarini said that “settler violence and military incursions are a daily occurrence. Public infrastructure is destroyed, deliberately inflicting collective punishment on Palestinians.”
He emphasized that the Palestinian economy is on the brink of collapse, and stressed that “for the past year, UNRWA has been a lifeline for the people of Gaza. It is the only pillar of their lives left standing.”
“Dismantling UNRWA will not terminate the refugee status of Palestinians — this status exists independently of the agency — but it will severely harm their lives and future,” he said.
Talking about Israeli army attacks on the agency, he said that “at least 239 UNRWA personnel have been killed, others detained and reportedly tortured, and more than two-thirds of our premises have been damaged or destroyed.”
Lazzarini urged member states to take immediate steps by preventing “the implementation of the legislation against UNRWA” and asked members to “ensure that any plan for a political transition delineates UNRWA’s role.”
“Finally, I ask that member states maintain funding to UNRWA and do not withhold or divert funds on the assumption that the agency can no longer operate,” he stressed.
For his part, General Assembly president Philemon Yang told members at Wednesday’s meeting that Israel’s legislation “constitutes an intolerable affront to the authority of this assembly, an affront to international law and, most importantly, an affront to the human dignity of innocent Palestinian civilians.”
Yang said the assembly extended UNRWA’s mandate — most recently in December 2022 — by an overwhelming majority until June 30, 2026. He urgently called on Israel to comply with its international legal obligations, the UN Charter and resolutions.
