NEW YORK (Bernama-WAFA): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the work and mandate of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) were in jeopardy, Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA) reported.
Speaking at the annual ministerial meeting on the agency's work during High-Level Week in New York, Guterres said UNRWA continued to operate under "extraordinary pressure”, with nearly 400 members of its workforce in Gaza killed and hundreds of its premises in the Occupied Palestinian Territory rendered "inaccessible, severely damaged, or utterly destroyed”.
"These actions are wholly unacceptable and inconsistent with Israel’s obligations under international law, including the UN Charter,” he said.
Despite the highly challenging environment, Guterres said UNRWA continued to provide essential public services to Palestinian refugees, but its work and mandate from the General Assembly were now in "jeopardy”.
Nearly two years ago, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation banning the UN agency from operating on Israeli territory, including East Jerusalem, and prohibiting Israeli officials from cooperating with UNRWA.
The Israeli government seized and began demolishing UNRWA’s main compound in Jerusalem last January. The UN and several states maintain that the laws passed by the Knesset breach Israel’s obligations under the UN Charter and Security Council Resolution 2730 on the protection of humanitarian personnel.
According to Guterres, the agency has been excluded from coordination meetings with Israeli authorities over humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere, while Israel no longer grants visas to its staff and UNRWA personnel have been subjected to intimidation.
He said UNRWA also continued to face a severe financial crisis, with a cash shortfall of US$100 million putting operations at risk and threatening the welfare of millions of Palestinian refugees.
Guterres called on member states to take immediate action, saying UNRWA’s capacity to operate was "seriously imperilled” and regional stability was at "stake”.
He said continued Israeli attacks were killing an average of four people a day, "a quarter of them children”, while international law was being "brazenly violated”.
"The resumption of assistance since the ceasefire was announced last October has brought some relief - but conditions remain intolerable,” Guterres said.
He said Israeli settler attacks and efforts to expand settlements in the West Bank had pushed Palestinians to "breaking point” and posed a threat to the two-state solution.
Amid the volatility, Guterres said UNRWA remained a "critical stabilising presence” and a lifeline for many Palestinian refugees. -- BERNAMA-WAFA
