On Tuesday 10 October, Commissioner General for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Pierre Krähenbühl, said that the Gaza Strip is a "time-bomb".
"Gaza is one of the most neglected areas in the region in political terms. There is no open conflict, no victims, no artillery fire (...) but it must not be neglected because there are all the ingredients of a time-bomb that could blow up in our face", he said during a hearing at the European Parliament. "The social, economic and humanitarian parameters in Gaza are the seeds of conflict for tomorrow", he added, underlining the "disastrous" humanitarian situation on this territory. Krähenbühl stated, for example, that 90% of students have never left Gaza and that 65% will never find a job in the Gaza Strip. In his view, "there is no outlook or future for Gazans in the existing parameters". "It is crucial to create a political outlook but also a personal one", he said.
According to Krähenbühl, "the Palestinian reconciliation is one of the key components that could end up really improving people's living conditions". Reconciliation would also be positive from the humanitarian point of view, because this would lay the foundations for resolving issues such as the security system or electricity problems, he said. He thus underlined that the ongoing reconciliation process between the Palestinian factions had to be supported (see EUROPE 11877). He stated that is was not about having a government of national understanding or unity but that the Palestinian Authority should exercise its authority in the Gaza Strip.
Krähenbühl also said that the blockade and occupation were fundamental parameters of the conflict. "The international community must be involved", he said, highlighting the importance of the freedom of movement.
€77 million hole. Krähenbühl also spoke about the financial support needed by the UNRWA. "The financial situation is increasingly delicate", he said, adding that in 2015 the return to school nearly had to be delayed because of a lack of financial means. He revealed that €77 million is still needed to finalise the budget. On 20 September, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn had announced an additional EU contribution of €9.5 million for the 2017 UNRWA budgetary programme. But Krähenbühl is already looking further. "Next year you will launch the negotiations on the next pluriannual financial framework. It is very important for the European Parliament to support the cause of the Palestinian refugees, and for you take account of UNRWA in your considerations", he told MEPS. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)