{"id":306303,"date":"2025-03-17T15:05:46","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T19:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=306303"},"modified":"2025-03-17T15:05:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T19:05:46","slug":"unrwa-is-facing-significant-operational-challenges-due-to-the-knesset-laws-condemned-by-the-european-union-and-arab-states-says-unrwa-chief","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/unrwa-is-facing-significant-operational-challenges-due-to-the-knesset-laws-condemned-by-the-european-union-and-arab-states-says-unrwa-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is facing significant operational challenges due to the Knesset laws, condemned by the European Union and Arab States, says Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Chief"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Brussels, 17 March 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

Briefing by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini to the European Parliamentary Committees on Foreign Affairs and Development<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Distinguished Chairs,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Members of the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Development,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you for the invitation to brief you.<\/p>\n

Since we last met, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s operations have been undermined further, with implications for regional, and international, peace and stability.<\/p>\n

I echo the Secretary-General\u2019s call at the Arab Summit in Cairo, for the\u00a0immediate, unconditional and dignified<\/strong>\u00a0release of all hostages; the dignified release of Palestinian detainees; and the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.<\/p>\n

During the summit, Arab States rejected the forced displacement of Palestinians; reaffirmed their commitment to a two-State solution; and approved a plan for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza.<\/p>\n

The Cairo Declaration also\u00a0reaffirms the essential role of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is a recognition that the Agency is an asset for a viable political transition.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Distinguished Chairs,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is facing\u00a0significant operational challenges\u00a0<\/strong>due to the Knesset laws, condemned by the European Union and Arab States.<\/p>\n

One law prohibits Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s operations in what the Government of Israel considers its \u201csovereign territory\u201d \u2013 this includes occupied East Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

The other law prohibits contact between Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA representatives and Israeli officials.<\/p>\n

We were compelled to\u00a0evacuate our headquarters compound<\/strong>\u00a0in occupied East Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

The lack of visas has\u00a0effectively expelled international staff\u00a0<\/strong>from the occupied West Bank.<\/p>\n

It is only thanks to the dedication of our Palestinian staff that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u00a0schools and health clinics remain open<\/strong>, providing essential services to Palestine Refugees.<\/p>\n

In<\/strong>\u00a0Gaza<\/strong>, a core team of international staff remains, but Israel no longer facilitates their entry or exit via Kerem Shalom.<\/p>\n

We have asked Egypt if international staff can enter and exit via Rafah.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is committed to\u00a0staying and delivering its mandate until we can no longer do so\u00a0in a principled manner<\/u><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Members of the Committees,<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ceasefire brought much needed respite after 15 months of brutal warfare.<\/p>\n

It enabled the return of hostages and Palestinian detainees to their families, and a 10-fold increase in the flow of humanitarian aid.<\/p>\n

This shows what is possible when there is a\u00a0political will<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It is, however, highly concerning that humanitarian aid is no longer allowed into Gaza, endangering civilian lives.<\/p>\n

During the war, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA provided a platform for all humanitarian assistance.<\/p>\n

Since the ceasefire, we have significantly scaled up our response, providing food to\u00a0two million\u00a0<\/strong>people, and clean water to nearly\u00a0half a million.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have opened\u00a0nearly 40\u00a0<\/strong>new emergency shelters and provided tents for more than\u00a060,000 people<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We provide some\u00a017,000<\/strong>\u00a0medical consultations every day.<\/p>\n

Nearly 2,000\u00a0<\/strong>Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA personnel vaccinated an estimated\u00a0200,000\u00a0<\/strong>children in the latest campaign against polio.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is also resuming education for as many children as possible through temporary learning spaces and remote learning activities.<\/p>\n

The appetite for learning is huge \u2013 more than 260,000 children are registered on the Agency\u2019s online learning platform.<\/p>\n

Curtailing Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s operations now \u2013 when needs are so high, and trust in the international community is so low \u2013 is counterproductive.<\/p>\n

It may even sabotage Gaza\u2019s recovery and plans for a political transition.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Distinguished Chairs,<\/strong><\/p>\n

The violence in the occupied\u00a0West Bank\u00a0<\/strong>is alarming.<\/p>\n

Since January, nearly\u00a040,000\u00a0<\/strong>Palestine Refugees have been displaced by air strikes, armored bulldozers and controlled detonations.<\/p>\n

This is the longest security operation since the Second Intifada and the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0large-scale demolition of buildings, including homes,\u00a0<\/strong>is new.<\/p>\n

People cannot return, and the\u00a0demography of camps is being permanently altered<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Palestinian armed groups are increasingly active in the north, deploying improvised explosive devices, including near Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA facilities and civilian infrastructure, in violation of international law.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Members of the Committees,<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a time of tremendous geopolitical uncertainty.<\/p>\n

For Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, the\u00a0status quo is no longer an option.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a choice to make.<\/p>\n

The Agency can be left to\u00a0implode<\/strong>\u00a0due to the Knesset legislation and financial uncertainties.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s collapse would create a\u00a0dangerous vacuum<\/strong>\u00a0in the occupied Palestinian territory, in the absence of alternatives.<\/p>\n

It would send\u00a0shockwaves\u00a0<\/strong>through Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, where the Agency is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Palestine Refugees.<\/p>\n

An environment in which children are deprived of education, and people lack access to basic services, is fertile ground for\u00a0exploitation and extremism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA can be supported to\u00a0progressively conclude its mandate within the framework of a political process\u00a0<\/strong>like that championed by the\u00a0Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This would allow the Agency to transition its public-like services to empowered and prepared Palestinian institutions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Distinguished Chairs,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I must stress that the rights of Palestine Refugees to protection and assistance are not derived from Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s mandate.<\/p>\n

They exist independently of the Agency.<\/p>\n

If Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA ceases to protect and assist Palestine Refugees, their rights will remain, and there will be\u00a0much greater emphasis on the right to return or to be resettled<\/strong>, for which Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA has no mandate.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Members of the Committees,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I must underscore Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s longstanding commitment to\u00a0neutrality<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Following grave allegations last year that 19 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA personnel participated in the abhorrent attacks of October 7, I immediately terminated their contracts.<\/p>\n

The Secretary-General swiftly tasked the United Nations\u2019 highest investigative body \u2013 the\u00a0Office of Internal Oversight Services<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 to conduct an independent investigation.<\/p>\n

He also commissioned an independent review of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s adherence to the principle of neutrality.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Colonna Report\u00a0<\/strong>found that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA has the most robust neutrality framework of any comparable entity.<\/p>\n

It also stressed that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, like all Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agencies, depends on Member States, including Israel, for protection from military and security-related neutrality risks.<\/p>\n

We will continue making every effort to\u00a0investigate credible allegations<\/strong>\u00a0against the Agency and its personnel.<\/p>\n

We recently learnt from the media about allegations that a released hostage was held at an Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA facility.<\/p>\n

We requested additional information from Israel but have not received a response.<\/p>\n

I must reiterate that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA was forced to evacuate many of its 300 premises in Gaza on IDF military orders.<\/p>\n

Our premises have been misused by both the Israeli Forces and Palestinian armed groups on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n

I have repeatedly called for an international investigation to establish the facts and hold all perpetrators accountable.<\/p>\n

Last year, following close engagement with the European Commission, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA agreed and fulfilled conditions for releasing EU funds and reinforcing the Agency\u2019s neutrality framework.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA has enhanced the vetting of staff, reinforced its internal investigation department, and undergone an audit commissioned by the European Commission.<\/p>\n

As a result,\u00a0all EU contributions for\u00a0<\/strong>2024 were released<\/strong>, including additional funding requested by this Parliament.<\/p>\n

I am deeply, deeply grateful for the continued support of this House.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Distinguished Chairs,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I must also address the\u00a0disinformation campaign<\/strong>\u00a0portraying Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA as a terrorist organisation, and our staff as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers.<\/p>\n

Billboards and ads<\/strong>\u00a0accusing Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA of terrorism have appeared in major cities.<\/p>\n

Google ad campaigns<\/strong>\u00a0promote websites replete with disinformation about the Agency.<\/p>\n

Disinformation poses a real threat to our staff, especially those in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza \u2013 where 275 personnel have been killed.<\/p>\n

To tackle disinformation, we must\u00a0insist that independent, international media\u00a0<\/strong>can enter and report from Gaza.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Members of the Committees,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s financial situation is dire.<\/p>\n

We have placed more than 600 local staff on Leave Without Pay.<\/p>\n

We may have to suspend payments to more staff and scale back critical services.<\/p>\n

An erosion of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA operations will degrade\u00a0the capacity of the United Nations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would like to conclude with one request, which reflects the uncertainty of the present moment:<\/p>\n

Sustain Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA until the political direction of travel is clear.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That is, until the international community considers the\u00a0Gaza Recovery and Reconstruction Plan\u00a0<\/strong>and the proposal of the\u00a0Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If we do not embed the Agency in a political process, it will collapse, with consequences for security and stability in the region and beyond.<\/p>\n

As a steadfast supporter of Palestine Refugees and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA for decades, the leadership of the European Union is urgently needed.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brussels, 17 March 2025 Briefing by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini to the European Parliamentary Committees on Foreign Affairs and Development Distinguished Chairs, Members of the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Development, Thank you for the invitation to brief you. Since we last met, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s operations have been undermined further, with implications for regional, and international, […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1338],"document-source":[1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1769,5449,1829,2033,2441,2057,6650,2005,2533,6869,6848,2029,1741,6885,5200,6845,2145,2153,1745,3689,2385,2729,6771,6891,6245,2273,6251,1841],"entity":[],"document-language":[],"class_list":["post-306303","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-statement","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-assistance-to-the-palestinian-people","document-subject-casualties","document-subject-children","document-subject-education-and-culture","document-subject-food","document-subject-funding-needs","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-health","document-subject-hospitals","document-subject-hostages","document-subject-house-demolitions","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-human-rights-violations","document-subject-humanitarian-relief","document-subject-protection-of-civilians","document-subject-public-information","document-subject-refugee-camps","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","document-subject-right-of-return","document-subject-security-issues","document-subject-shelter","document-subject-two-state-solution","document-subject-unrwa","document-subject-violence","document-subject-water","document-subject-west-bank","document-subject-women"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/306303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/306303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":306313,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/306303\/revisions\/306313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=306303"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=306303"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=306303"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=306303"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=306303"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=306303"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=306303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}