BEIRUT — The leader of the United Nations agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees expressed concerns on Thursday regarding the long-term sustainability of the agency’s operations, indicating it is facing what he termed an “existential threat.”
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), emphasized in an interview that even with numerous challenges and pressures, the agency’s commitment remains resolute. “We will continue to operate and provide assistance until we are explicitly prevented from doing so,” he stated during his visit to Beirut.
Recently, Israel officially prohibited UNRWA from functioning within its territory. In response to this ban, Lazzarini noted that international staff members had to vacate East Jerusalem due to expiring visas; however, there has been no immediate disruption to services in Gaza and the West Bank. He emphasized that health care and various other services continued in East Jerusalem, albeit at potentially reduced levels.
Looking ahead, UNRWA is likely to experience intensified scrutiny and pressure from the United States amid shifting political landscapes. Recent remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested that about 2 million Palestinians currently residing in Gaza could be permanently relocated to neighboring countries, were flagged by Lazzarini as highly impractical. The commissioner general condemned such assertions, labelings them as “forced displacement,” which he categorizes as an international crime akin to ethnic cleansing.
Trump recently announced that the U.S. would not be resuming funding for UNRWA, following a suspension initiated in January 2024 by the Biden administration. This funding halt followed Israel’s claims that some UNRWA workers participated in the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which precipitated the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Israeli officials accused about 19 out of 13,000 employees in Gaza of involvement. Although UNRWA terminated employment for nine staff members after an investigation, Lazzarini pointed out that evidence of wrongdoing had not been validated.
While many other nations that previously curtailed funding eventually restored their contributions, the United States remained firm in its decision. Lazzarini acknowledged the loss of American financial backing as a significant hurdle, but he expressed hope for increased support from Gulf nations and other donors. He described UNRWA as a target of a “massive disinformation campaign” aimed at dismantling the organization.
Critics of UNRWA maintain that the agency has inadvertently prolonged the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by granting refugee status to generations of descendants of those displaced in 1948, potentially preserving their right to return. Lazzarini contended that anyone believing UNRWA can be easily dissolved or its tasks transferred to other entities is mistaken.
UNRWA plays a crucial role in providing vital services, including health care and education, to roughly 2.5 million Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, in addition to 3 million more refugees in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Lazzarini remarked that since the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted in October 2023, UNRWA has been essential in delivering humanitarian assistance to affected populations.
He stressed that while some responsibilities could be transferred to a competent public institution, UNRWA fulfills essential functions unmatched by other U.N. agencies at this scale. He remarked that the agency has served as a “substitute in the absence of the state for the Palestinian refugees” and asserted that a legitimate political resolution leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state beside Israel is the only viable way to effectively conclude UNRWA’s mandate. This process would eventually allow the agency to transition its services to a capable Palestinian governing body.
Lazzarini further cautioned that the alternative would be a rapid collapse of the agency, resulting in profound additional suffering for an already vulnerable population in the region.
