[AS
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Since stepping down from his role as head of the UN
Palestinian refugee agency earlier this year, Philippe Lazzarini has
published a candid account of his tenure, denouncing disinformation
campaigns and western hypocrisy over Gaza.
For six years, Philippe Lazzarini was the voice of
Palestinians at the United Nations, leading its dedicated refugee
agency, UNRWA. Attacked, discredited and rebuffed along with his agency,
he never stopped fighting as their cause became inaudible after 7
October 2023, when the Israeli army set about the systematic destruction
of Gaza. Lazzarini, a Neuchâtel native, has published a book this week
titled Témoin de Gaza: ce qui ne s’efface pas (A witness of
Gaza: what cannot be erased). In it, he recounts his nearly daily
experience from the closest possible vantage point of the events and the
key players in this global tragedy.
Le Temps: You were head of UNRWA until only a few months
ago, and you are already publishing a book. Why publish now? Is it about
settling scores?
Philippe Lazzarini: No, it should not be seen as any
desire for revenge. It is an account grounded in facts. As the people
around me have often said, I was a privileged witness to an
extraordinarily dark chapter of history over these last three years. It
is a story that needs to be shared. On a personal level, one of the aims
was also to give myself a soft landing. It would have been very abrupt
to finish on 31 March and then suddenly find myself on 1 April with no
project, dwelling on these past years. I am taking advantage of the fact
that events are still very fresh to bring some clarity to my own mind.
Did going back over this recent history also make you rediscover painful episodes?
All the scenes from Gaza have followed me and haunted me over these
past years, so I did not rediscover them through writing. What may have
come to light, however, is the scale and hypocrisy of the international
community’s inaction. I obviously knew about them – I was confronted
with them – but when you put all the pieces of the puzzle together, you
realise how significant they are.
We knew everything, and we all
knew what the implications would be, not only the human implications in
Gaza and for the rest of Palestine and the region, but also the
consequences for the future interpretation of international law, for
Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, and International
Court of Justice rulings. It is a profound weakening of our multilateral
system. Of course, I talk about this and describe situations. But once
the book was finished, I asked myself: why did we wait so long?
