Lazzarini: Annexing Gaza will not create lasting peace in the Middle East
“More than 100 trucks were looted [carrying goods for] UNRWA and WFPbasically, 80-90% of the convoy that day,” said Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of UNRWA.
“What does it represent? We [began] has long warned of a complete breakdown of civil order; until four or five months ago, we still had local capabilities, convoy escorts. This has completely disappeared.”
According to UNRWAThe incident occurred on Saturday and involved a convoy of 109 trucks. In an online post on X.
Israel’s humanitarian responsibility
The UN agency emphasized: “The Israeli authorities continue to disregard their legal obligations under international law to ensure that the basic needs of the population are met and to facilitate the transition deliver aid safely”.
“Such responsibilities continue when trucks enter the Gaza Strip, until the population is given the necessary assistance.”
That’s in addition to Israel’s ongoing deadly bombardment – including of a residential building in northern Beit Lahia over the weekend that left dozens dead. strongly condemn – UNRWA says a severe flour shortage has forced all eight UN-supported bakeries in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis to operate “at reduced capacity for weeks. Many have been forced to close completely. Without immediate intervention, severe food shortages will worsen, further endangering the lives of more than two million people who depend on humanitarian aid to survive.”
There is no viable alternative to UNRWA
Speaking in Geneva on the sidelines of the meeting of Advisory Committee tasked with advising and assisting UNRWA in carrying out its mandate, Mr. Lazzarini reiterated his warning – widely echoed by the international community – that Israeli efforts to disband the agency would dire consequences for the people of Gaza, who rely on the agency for education, health care and livelihoods, unless a viable alternative is offered.
“I keep being asked why this agency cannot be replaced? In fact, it can be replaced by an active state…if we do this and we have no viable alternative, we will create a vacuum. We will also deprive hundreds of thousands of children of their right to education, but in doing so, we will also sow the seeds for more extremism, more hatred in the future.”
Spain unites
Echoing that message, Antón Leis, Secretary General and CEO of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development, who chaired the Advisory Committee Meeting emphasized that UNRWA is “irreplaceable and indispensable…for the six million Palestinian refugees in the Middle East – not just in Gaza – throughout the entire Middle East”.
Mr. Leis highlighted the disinformation campaign targeting UNRWA and stressed the need to explain the agency’s important grassroots work across the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
“It is also important to clarify and explain what UNRWA does and what UNRWA does differently from other UN agencies and why – and this is the reality on the ground – why UNRWA is indispensable and irreplaceable. That’s okay.”
Looking for challenges
Mr. Lazzarini noted that the diplomatic and political campaign against UNRWA is also affecting staff on the ground: “Last week, we had an incident where a female staff member was searched in her home by police. amount of functionality. [an Israel Defense Forces] soldier and when they realized that she was working for UNRWA, they basically said to her, ‘Why are you working for a terrorist organization?’”
When asked what the election of Donald Trump could change, the head of UNRWA affirmed the need to listen to the wishes of the Palestinian people.
“We keep hearing that promoting lasting peace is the top priority, and I don’t understand how you can promote lasting peace without addressing the Palestinian problem in the region. So, of course, people are extremely worried that it could go in the direction of annexation, but annexation will not mean a lasting peace in the region if you don’t solve the problems of the people. Palestine.”
