On Tuesday 3 February, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini called on the international community to continue its support for the agency, which is facing recurring funding shortfalls and Israeli threats.
“I call on the EU Member States and the public to support our agency so that we can continue to provide public services within a political framework, until such time as these services are provided by a future Palestinian institution with the necessary powers and capacities”, he stressed at the opening of a photo exhibition on Gaza in Brussels.
Mr Lazzarini said he was counting on his European partners’ solidarity and support. The EU and its Member States are UNRWA’s biggest donors. In 2024, the EU allocated €82 million to UNRWA’s core budget.
The commissioner general announced that, last week, he had been forced to cut health and education services by 20% in 2026 in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
Mr Lazzarini also denounced the political attacks on his agency. “Last month, we learned that the Israeli authorities had passed a new law authorising the cutting off of water and electricity to our premises in occupied East Jerusalem. They also stormed and demolished our headquarters in East Jerusalem, which was then set on fire a few days later - a highly symbolic act”, he said, adding that this was a flagrant violation of international law and of the United Nations’ privileges and immunity.
The commissioner general reiterated his call for accountability and a “firm” international response to defend the rules-based international order and the shared commitment to Palestinian refugees.
For her part, European Commissioner for Equality; Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib once again denounced the demolition of UNRWA buildings (see EUROPE 13791/17). She described it as “yet another act of violence. Another attempt to intimidate. Another attempt to erase decades of service to the Palestinian people”. “UN premises are inviolable. They must be protected. This act violates international law, and no one is above the law. The European Union does not accept this act of violence. We will never accept it”, she warned.
While “no humanitarian organisation can save lives with their hands tied”, according to Ms Lahbib, “measures targeting UNRWA, combined with registration rules for NGOs, are choking humanitarian operations. More barriers, more paperwork, more delays”. “This must stop. Israel must lift these obstacles and let humanitarians save lives”, she stressed. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)