He spoke to reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday detailing the two bills recently passed by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and their implications. It has been said that the purpose of these laws is to prohibit the activities of the United Nations agency UNRWA in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Gaza and the West Bank.
“The purpose of these laws is to weaken the organization,” he said, adding that the move is motivated by political motives.
Since the start of the war in Gaza on 7 October 2023, 243 UNRWA workers have lost their lives. About 190 agency buildings and facilities were damaged or destroyed, and life-saving support operations were severely restricted.
Disinformation campaign
“Furthermore, an intense and aggressive disinformation campaign is being carried out, which has contacted donor countries to try to discredit the organization,” said Philippe Lazzarini.
He emphasized that despite working in a vulnerable environment, UNRWA took action against violations of neutrality. ‘Zero Tolerance’ adopted the policy. He said the agency is an “easy target” for those who see their presence or activity as a threat.
This includes Hamas, which for years has accused UNRWA of “conspiring” with Israel over its educational, gender equality or arts, culture and sports programs. On the other hand, Israel accuses UNRWA of colluding with Hamas and being under the extreme influence of Hamas.
“Therefore, I clarified this matter this morning in the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly,” said Filipe Lazzarini, “and completely rejected these allegations.”
Assault on workers
In addition to legal and financial constraints, UNRWA staff face increasing security threats. He cited a recent incident in which a female employee in the West Bank was detained, interrogated and forced to provide sensitive information on charges of working for a “terrorist organization.”
Cases like these are symbolic of the increased risk workers face in these conflict situations, said Philippe Lazzarini. He emphasized that there is no alternative to UNRWA, which has been reiterated by the UN Secretary-General and many humanitarian aid agencies in the recent past.
UNRWA has been instrumental in educating millions of boys and girls in the Gaza Strip for decades, providing essential public health services and providing health care to thousands of people every day.
Philippe Lazzarini warned that if UNRWA’s work were to cease, “the responsibility to provide these essential services falls on the occupying power, i.e. Israel, the only alternative.”
UNRWA Prevent it from ending
Philip Lazzarini appealed to the member states of the United Nations to take quick action to prevent the implementation of the law recently approved by the Israeli parliament. At the same time, continued financial and political support for UNRWA must be ensured.
He said the issue of UNRWA should be addressed within a political framework and its role should be clearly defined within any political path leading to a two-state solution.
According to him, the attack on UNRWA is an ‘attack on the United Nations’. Israel’s aggression challenges the General Assembly and the Security Council and undermines the international rules-based order established after World War II.
Philippe Lazzarini appealed to countries contributing to his relief response to use all their political and legal resources to stop this situation.