Lazarini: The closure of Gaza crossings that contradict any international human standard

Speaking to reporters from Geneva today, Monday, after being brought to member states about the agency’s status, Lazarini said that the legislation approved by the Knesset and entered into force in late January is not only related to UNRWA, but rather related to “Any individual or organization calls for adhering to international humanitarian law or promoting the rights of Palestinians.”

He said: “With a number of international NGOs have already silenced, there is now a greater invisible effort in Israel to undermine or restrict international organizations and NGOs through legislative measures.”

“Intimidation, bullying and pressure”

The Commissioner -General referred to the campaign of misinformation, which is depicted by UNRWA as a “terrorist organization”, and its employees as “terrorists or sympathetic to the terrorists.”

He stressed that this campaign translated into an increase in the number of accidents that involve “Intimidation, bullying and pressure” on Employees, where “They are asked to go to police stations or go to a long investigation, and they are asked why they work with a terrorist organization.”

He said that the agency also faced serious operational challenges throughout the occupied land since the legislation entered into force, but he stressed that UNRWA will remain and implement its mandate assigned to it from the General Assembly “Until it is not possible to do this in the way based on principles.”

“Using aid for political and military goals”

Lazarini said that Israel’s decision to ban the entry of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies to the Gaza Strip threatens the lives of Palestinian civilians “Those who relax only for a short period of brutal war,” Stressing that the situation is now similar to the situation that prevailed in October 2023.

He said that the ceasefire proved it “When there is a political will, humanitarian aid can be without obstacle and without interruption,” He pointed out that before the Israeli decision, humanitarian aid increased ten times.

The Commissioner -General added: “If you close all crossings, you create a situation in which basic aid and food is used as a tool to achieve a political or military goal, which is inconsistent with any international human standard.”

Lazarini said that cutting electricity by Israel also has a major impact on the availability of drinking water, as the affected desalination plant produced drinking water for 600,000 people.

In response to a question about whether it is possible to return life to the Strip, he said that the people of Gaza.They see their future in their land. ” He said that life in Gaza was already unbearable, “But it became hell after October 2023.” However, he stressed that any plan to remove the population from the sector forcibly – completely or partially – is an ethnic purification.

He expressed his hope that what the Arab countries proposed in the Cairo statement and approved by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation “The alternative plan because it means that we maintain the unity of the future of the Palestinian state.”

UNRWA is indispensable

In response to questions about the possibility of UNRWA replacing other international agencies, Lazarini said that it is possible for agencies to enter aid trucks into Gaza and expand their work to respond to the sharp state of emergency in the Strip, but UNRWA still has a dominant role because of “Its enormous imprint in the sector.”

He explained: “If you compare our silence with all other United Nations agencies combined, it does not represent up to five percent of our existence.” He stressed that UNRWA is mainly a human development organization established until a political solution to the question of Palestinian refugees was found, and he asked: “Who will provide primary health care and education?”

Lazarini said that “The biggest displacement of the Palestinians to the West Bank since 1967” Also, as the Palestinians are still strongly affected by Israeli operations, especially in the north. He said that the demolition of buildings, including in residential areas, said, adding: “People have no place to return to.”

Despite the major financial restrictions, the agency also continued to work in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, according to the General Commissioner. He pointed out that a recent survey in Lebanon found that about 70 percent of the Palestinian refugees in the country depend on the cash aid provided by the agency, as a major source of income with the continuation of the social and economic crisis.

Crossroads

He stressed that UNRWA needs additional financial support to stay and that the current situation “is no longer an option.” He said that the agency cannot be allowed to collapse due to the fierce misleading campaign, the Knesset legislation, and the suspension of financing by major donors. On the other hand, it can be supported to gradually end its mandate in the context of a political process in which its public services gradually transfer to a capable and ready Palestinian institution.

He stressed that the collapse of the agency would create a dangerous void in the occupied Palestinian land, and send shock waves to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. He said: “The environment in which children are deprived of education and people lack access to basic services constitute a fertile ground for exploitation and extremism, and this constitutes a threat to peace and security in the region and abroad.”