UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini addressed a press conference on the Gaza situation at the United Nations offices in Geneva on November 18, 2024. — AFP
The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) emphasized on Monday that there is no viable alternative to the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, following Israel's directive to ban the organization that coordinates nearly all aid in war-torn Gaza. "There is no plan B," Lazzarini stated in Geneva. He highlighted that within the UN, there is no other agency equipped to deliver the same range of activities, including aid, primary healthcare, and education to hundreds of thousands of children.
Lazzarini urged the UN, which established UNRWA in 1949, to prevent the implementation of the ban in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, a decision approved by the Israeli parliament last month. The impending ban, set to take effect in January, has drawn global criticism, including from the United States, a key ally of Israel. UNRWA provides support to nearly six million Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. Israel has long criticized the agency, but tensions heightened after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of involvement in Hamas's attack on southern Israel in October 2023. Investigations revealed some "neutrality related issues" and identified nine employees in Gaza as potentially involved, but found no substantial evidence to support Israel's main allegations.
In Geneva for a UNRWA advisory commission meeting, Lazzarini described the current situation as the agency's "darkest moment." He warned that the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees and the legitimacy of the international order established post-World War II are at stake. Anton Leis, chair of the advisory committee and head of Spain's international cooperation and development agency, reiterated that there is no alternative to UNRWA, which has lost over 240 staff members in Gaza since the war began. He emphasized that UNRWA is uniquely positioned to deliver lifesaving assistance to Palestinian refugees, especially in Gaza.
Lazzarini agreed, noting that while alternative solutions might exist for delivering food, none are available for education and primary healthcare. He cautioned that a halt to UNRWA's activities in Israel and East Jerusalem would impede its ability to coordinate aid efforts in Gaza, making it impossible to ensure the safe movement of aid convoys. Lazzarini accused Israel of aiming to strip Palestinians of their refugee status, thereby undermining the two-state solution. He asserted that even if UNRWA ceased operations, the refugee status would remain. Without UNRWA, the responsibility for providing services to Palestinian refugees would revert to Israel, the occupying power. Lazzarini called on the international community to exert greater pressure on Israel beyond mere condemnations, expressing a sense of isolation.
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