UNRWA will ‘stay, deliver’ aid to Palestinians despite Israel’s ban: Lazzarini
The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) says it will continue to distribute aid in the Palestinian territories despite Israel’s inhumane ban, which is due to be implemented by the end of January.
Late in October, Israel's Knesset enacted legislation prohibiting UNRWA from operating in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, mandating a complete withdrawal within 90 days.
If enforced, the ban would lead to the closure of UNRWA offices and the freezing of its financial accounts in Israel, effectively halting its operations.
Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA chief, told a conference in Norway’s capital Oslo on Wednesday that the agency’s “local staff will remain and continue to provide emergency assistance and where possible, education and primary health care” to the people of Palestine.
“Continuing to work will come at considerable personal risk for our Palestinian colleagues.”
With no visas, UNRWA's non-Palestinian employees will not be able to enter Gaza and those there now will have to leave, Lazzarini said.
“This is due to the exceptionally hostile operating environment created by Israel’s disregard for international law and fierce disinformation campaign against the agency.”
Lazzarini also warned that the absence of communication between UNRWA and Israeli authorities that will result from the ban will make the agency's work even more dangerous in Gaza.
UNRWA, which is considered the backbone of humanitarian operations for Palestinians, provides aid to some six million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
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