Geneva: According to Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Israel’s targeting of UNRWA headquarters constitutes a clear violation of the privileges and immunities of the United Nations. He made this statement on Monday during the Global Refugee Forum held in Geneva.
Lazzarini said that working in the occupied Palestinian territories is already difficult, and under such conditions UNRWA’s humanitarian services are facing continuous attacks. He added that despite the absence of a political solution, UNRWA has been providing essential services to Palestinian refugees for the past 75 years.
UNRWA continues to provide vital services such as health care and education to millions of refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. According to Lazzarini, last week Israeli police and municipal officials forcibly entered UNRWA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem. During the incident, the agency’s properties were confiscated, and the United Nations flag was removed and replaced with the Israeli flag.
He said that so far more than 380 UNRWA staff members have been killed in Gaza, and over the past two years more than 300 of the agency’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed. In addition, due to Israel’s domestic laws, UNRWA’s international staff have been expelled from the occupied Palestinian territory.