Lazzarini slammed calls for UNRWA closure in Gaza as 'short-sighted'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites + Al Mayadeen
13 Feb 2024 18:35

Philippe Lazzarini cautions member states during a meeting in Geneva against the various calls for the dismantling and termination of UNRWA.

Two Israeli invading soldiers pass by UN premises in Gaza. (AFP)

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, slammed the calls to dismantle the agency as "short-sighted" amid the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Lazzarini cautioned member states during a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday against the various calls for the dismantling and termination of UNRWA.

“I have warned about the impact, I have said that these calls are short-sighted,” he said.

“If we want to give a chance to any future transition to succeed, we need also to make sure that the international community has the tools and one of the tools is UNRWA," he added.

"There is no other UN agency or international NGOs that have been assigned over the past two decades to deliver services akin to those of a government, such as education for hundreds of thousands of children," he tersely stated.

Lazzarini contended that Israeli statements regarding the former employees of the agency are merely allegations. He emphasized that the Israeli government did not provide any information or evidence regarding the accusations made against the employees.

In the same context, a source in the meeting revealed to Al Mayadeen that Lazzarini responded to accusations from the Israeli delegate and requested written documents.

The source also noted that Lazzarini called on the Israeli delegate to cooperate with the UN Commission of Inquiry concerning the Israeli accusations and provide them with all the necessary information.

The Palestinian delegate also criticized UNRWA's decision to dismiss accused employees before conducting any investigation, as per the source.

It is worth noting that Lazzarini admitted, on February 10, to employing a "reverse due process" approach in dismissing nine staff members accused by "Israel" of being involved in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.

At the time, Lazzarini acknowledged that the employees were terminated before investigating "Israel's" accusations against them and prior to the initiation of any investigation.

This comes amid a movement to stigmatize the agency's credibility after "Israel" accused 12 of its members of being affiliated with the October 7 operation conducted by the Palestinian Resistance. As a result, the UK, the US, and 14 other countries have opted to defund the organization, primarily led by the United States, prior to any investigation and without any proof provided.

Rafah: 'A sea of displaced Palestinians'

Elsewhere in his remarks, Lazzarini expressed concern about Israeli assaults on Rafah, the densely populated southern town in Gaza that has become the final sanctuary for forcibly displaced Palestinians escaping the intense bombardment of the besieged coastal territory.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said the Rafah situation was "deeply concerning", with people being "anxious and in fear" of a major military assault "in the middle of a sea of displaced people.”

"The question is, where will the civilians go?" Lazzarini said.

"There is absolutely no safe place in Rafah anymore. The fear is that the number of people killed and injured might again significantly increase," he added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced today that Israeli occupation forces committed several massacres in 24 hours only, killing 133 Palestinians and injuring 162, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression on Gaza up to 28,473, in addition to 68,146 injuries.