The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, renewed his warning of the collapse of UNRWA due to the Israeli Knesset laws targeting its operations and the suspension of funding by major donors.

The collapse of the agency would create a dangerous vacuum in the provision of basic services, creating “fertile ground for exploitation and extremism,” which would pose a threat to peace and stability in the region and beyond, Lazzarini said.

He added that UNRWA faces major operational challenges after the Knesset decisions came into effect, as it was forced to evacuate its headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem, while its international employees were expelled from the occupied West Bank.

In the same context, he pointed out that the courage and commitment of the agency's Palestinian employees kept UNRWA schools and health clinics open to enable it to provide basic services to Palestinian refugees.

Lazzarini explained that UNRWA's operations in the Gaza Strip continue through its local or international employees, whose entry or exit from Palestine is no longer facilitated by Israel.

He continued: "It is not clear to what extent our ability to operate will be further restricted by the ban on contact between UNRWA representatives and Israeli officials, but the agency will remain and will continue to implement its mandate until it is prevented from doing so."

The UNRWA Commissioner-General said that the Agency continues to play a crucial role in addressing the enormous needs of the people of the Gaza Strip, and stressed that reducing its operations now is unhelpful and would sabotage Gaza's recovery and political transition plans.

"Time is running out to preserve UNRWA operations, and decisive intervention is urgently required," he said.

He stressed that there is no alternative that can provide public services to Palestinian refugees in the Palestinian territories, and stressed the importance of allowing UNRWA to gradually end its mandate within the framework of a political process such as the two-state solution, and transferring responsibilities to capable and prepared Palestinian institutions.

He stressed that the success of these efforts depends entirely on the strength of the international community's commitment to the political track, which must be supported by funding to maintain the agency's operations until the transfer of its services to Palestinian institutions is completed.

The statements of the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees came within the framework of a speech he delivered at the fourth meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which was held in Cairo yesterday, Monday.

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