The top of the UN’s lead company serving to Palestinians accuses Israel of searching for to destroy it

The top of the principle United Nations agency supporting people in Gaza alleged that Israel is intent on “destroying” the group together with the concept Palestinians are refugees and have a proper to return dwelling sooner or later.

Philippe Lazzarini accused Israel in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger of getting a “long-term political objective” of eliminating the U.N. assist company he leads, which is known by the acronym UNRWA. It was created greater than 70 years in the past to help Palestinians who fled or have been compelled from their properties in the course of the 1948 Mideast battle over Israel’s creation.

“In the intervening time, we’re coping with an expanded, concentrated Israeli marketing campaign, which is aimed toward destroying UNRWA,” Lazzarini mentioned within the interview revealed Saturday. His remarks supplied his most sweeping pushback but towards Israeli accusations that the company ignored alleged attempts by Hamas to infiltrate its Gaza operation.

Lazzarini, who has served as UNRWA’s commissioner-general since 2020, mentioned Israel apparently believes that “if the help company is abolished, the standing of the Palestinian refugees shall be resolved as soon as and for all — and with it the precise of return.”

The destiny of Palestinian refugees and their descendants was a key level of dispute between Israelis and Palestinians in earlier failed peace talks greater than a decade in the past. Israel rejects Palestinian calls for to permit descendants of refugees to return to what’s now Israel, arguing it could dilute Israel’s Jewish majority.

Israel’s authorities didn’t instantly remark Saturday on the Tages-Anzeiger interview. The U.N. company had no additional remark past the revealed remarks.

Israel has alleged that 12 of UNRWA’s 1000’s of employees members participated within the Oct. 7 Hamas assault that sparked the war in Gaza. The US, the company’s largest donor, has suspended funding to it and is options to UNRWA.

With out that cash from the U.S. and different key backers who additionally suspended their assist — totaling $438 million, or greater than half this yr’s anticipated funding — Lazzarini mentioned UNRWA can have to halt operations in April.

Congress has made clear that U.S. funding for the company will cease for good, the U.S. particular envoy for Center East humanitarian points, David Satterfield, advised an occasion hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for Worldwide Peace on Friday.

“It’s not a suspension. It’s prohibition on offering additional funding,” Satterfield mentioned.

On the similar time, the U.S. desires UNRWA’s crucial capabilities of assist supply and assist to Palestinians to proceed.

“We’re working aggressively as potential with the U.N. household, with U.N. businesses, to see how these key capabilities might be sustained, as we glance to the months forward,” Satterfield mentioned.

It’s not clear how UNRWA’s central function in sheltering and supporting a whole bunch of 1000’s of Gaza’s 2.3 million individuals could be shifted to organizations with a much smaller presence contained in the besieged territory. About 80% of Gaza’s individuals have been displaced, and medical, meals and different assist allowed into the territory is far below what got here in earlier than the battle.

“No one else can do what UNRWA is doing,” European Union overseas coverage chief Josep Borrell mentioned final week.

When UNRWA was created, it was meant to supply well being care, schooling and welfare providers to about 700,000 Palestinians. At this time, it offers such providers to about 6 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants within the West Financial institution, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

All of these areas shall be affected when UNRWA halts operations, Lazzarini mentioned.

In his interview, he mentioned Israel’s authorities has utilized strain in a number of methods in what he referred to as its try and destroy the company.

“The Israeli parliament, for instance, has launched a invoice to ban the UNRWA headquarters from Jerusalem,” Lazzarini advised the Swiss newspaper. “They not wish to exempt UNRWA from VAT (value-added tax) sooner or later. Israeli authorities have ordered contractors on the port in Ashdod to cease dealing with sure meals deliveries for UNRWA. And all these calls for come from the federal government.”

Israel additionally desires his resignation, Lazzarini mentioned — a requirement that he mentioned no different authorities has made in the course of the company’s present disaster.

Israel has lengthy accused UNRWA of collaborating with Hamas or turning a blind eye to the militant group’s actions. All through the battle, it has launched photographs of tunnels constructed subsequent to UNRWA services.

UNRWA denies collaborating with Hamas. It has dismissed the staff accused within the Oct. 7 assaults and launched investigations. The company says 158 of its workers, out of a Gaza employees of 13,000, have been killed within the battle.

On Friday, Israeli Protection Minister Yoav Gallant released new allegations towards UNRWA, saying Israeli intelligence had “vital indications” that greater than 30 further company employees joined the Oct. 7 assault.

He alleged that almost 1,500 employees, or 12% of the company’s work power, have been members of Hamas or the Islamic Jihad militant group, and that greater than 230 have been within the teams’ armed wings.

“UNRWA has misplaced legitimacy and may not operate as a U.N. physique,” Gallant mentioned. He mentioned he ordered Israeli authorities to start working with organizations that might exchange UNRWA.

The U.N. company didn’t touch upon Gallant’s newest accusations however has mentioned it frequently offers the names of its employees to Israel and takes motion towards anybody discovered to be violating U.N. neutrality guidelines.

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