UNRWA leader: Calls for dismantling Palestine relief agency ‘short-sighted’

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said calls for the organization’s disbandment were “short-sighted” and would spark a bigger crisis in Gaza.

“I have discussed with Member States the calls for UNRWA to be dismantled and abolished. I have warned of its implications and have also said that such calls are short-sighted,” Lazzarini said. According to Reuters.

The United States froze funding to UNRWA following reports that more than a dozen UNRWA employees supported Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.

This has sparked debate within the Democratic Party, with some lawmakers arguing that the U.S. should not freeze aid to the group given its role in providing relief to Gaza, an area controlled by Hamas. There is. The Republican Party has further increased its hostility towards UNRWA, claiming that it is rife with anti-Semitism.

“There are no other UN agencies or international organizations at all. [nongovernmental organizations] “For the past 20 years, this organization has been tasked with providing education and other government-like services to hundreds of thousands of children,” Lazzarini said in defense of his organization.

The agency was founded in 1949 and now provides hygiene products, water, and food to nearly the entire population of Gaza. A UNRWA spokesperson said UNRWA has about two weeks left before aid cuts will affect some services. According to Reuters.

The United States, along with the United Kingdom, said it would not resume funding to the agency until an internal U.N. investigation into the allegations is completed.

Mr. Lazzarini emphasized that UNRWA’s influence extends beyond Gaza.

“If we want to give future… transitions a chance of success, we also need to make sure that the international community has the tools, and one of those tools is UNRWA,” he said. .

UNRWA came under increased scrutiny on Saturday after Israel claimed to have discovered a Hamas tunnel beneath the agency’s headquarters. The agency announced on October 12 that it had abandoned its headquarters.

“UNRWA…does not have the military and security expertise and does not have the capacity to conduct military inspections of what is or may be on its premises,” UNRWA said.