UNRWA commissioner: ‘Objective of Israel’s war to get rid of UNRWA’

 Middle East Monitor MEMO October 12, 2024 at 10:04 am

A visit to UNRWA Health Center in East Jerusalem old city, part of a diplomatic mission to Israel and the Palestinian territories, in Rammalah, Palestina, Thursday 16 May 2024. [DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images]

Commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, announced on Friday that eliminating the agency has almost been an objective of the Israeli war.

According to Reuters, he added that UNRWA will receive clarification regarding its US funding in early 2025.

The agency, its employees and its headquarters have been subjected to repeated Israeli attacks in the West Bank and Gaza. The latest Israeli measure against the agency was the bill passed by the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee in the Knesset on Sunday banning UNRWA’s activities in Israel.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the committee referred the bill to the Knesset for a vote in the second and third readings. It stipulates the confiscation of all UNRWA funds, properties and real estate in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and the transfer of the funds to the compensation fund for those affected by the attacks.

The bill also prohibits the recognition of the diplomatic character, or the special status of UN workers, for anyone who holds a UNRWA worker card.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241012-unrwa-commissioner-objective-of-israels-war-to-get-rid-of-unrwa/

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UN says no food has entered northern Gaza since start of October, putting 1 million people at risk of starvation CNN NEWS

By Kareem Khadder, Abeer Salman, Eyad Kourdi and Pauline Lockwood, CNN

2 minute read

Published 11:31 AM EDT, Fri October 11, 2024 

Palestinians receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in northern Gaza, September 11, 2024.

Mahmoud Issa/Reuters

No food has entered northern Gaza since the start of October, putting 1 million people at risk of going hungry, the World Food Programme told CNN on Friday.

In August, approximately 700 hundred aid trucks entered northern Gaza. In September, only 400 aid trucks entered, after commercial operations ceased at the Allenby Crossing on the border between the occupied West Bank and Jordan, the WFP added. No food trucks have entered northern Gaza in October, the WFP told CNN.

On Wednesday, the WFP said in a report that the aid entering the strip has plummeted to its lowest level in months, forcing the organization to stop the distribution of food parcels in October.

“Hunger remains rampant and the threat of famine persists,” WFP added.  “If the flow of assistance does not resume, one million vulnerable people will be deprived on this lifeline.”...READ MORE https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/11/middleeast/food-northern-gaza-starvation-un-intl

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The mainstream media has failed us after 7 October- Not only did they mostly ignore Israel’s denial of Palestinian freedom, but also the contradictions in Israel’s military strategy- Peter Beinart

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest inside News Corp headquarters on 17 November 2023. Photograph: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

 "... Unfortunately, the American media never gave Abusalim a megaphone. He appeared on network and cable television only once in the six months following 7 October, and even then, it was only to detail his family’s suffering, not to analyze the war. That was typical. According to a study by George Washington University’s William Youmans, America’s four flagship Sunday talkshows – Meet the Press, Face the Nation, This Week and Fox News Sunday – collectively interviewed 140 outside guests on camera between 8 October 2023 and 14 January 2024. Only one was Palestinian.

Who did the Sunday shows interview instead? For the most part, Washington insiders. In those early months of the war, more than 80% of the Sunday show guests were current and former US government officials. Few knew much about Gaza, and few questioned Israel’s actions...."

Peter Beinart (@PeterBeinart) is a professor at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York, an editor at large of Jewish Currents and writes The Beinart Notebook, a weekly newsletter. His new book, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza, will be published in January.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/07/mainstream-media-israel-denies-palestinian-freedom

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They are #NotATarget ...UNITED NATIONS' Golden Rule Thinking & Being

United Nations Geneva

@UNGeneva

Children. Civilians. Medical personnel. Humanitarian workers. They are #NotATarget.

"Many are traumatized due to the ongoing bombardment, uncertainty + fears. For some, it is trauma re-lived given repeated cycles of conflict over the decades." Philippe Lazzarini Commissioner-General of UNWRA

 

Boy sitting in the rubble of a destroyed UNRWA school in Nuseirat, Middle Areas. © 2024 UNRWA Photo  War has robbed every boy and girl in Gaza of their childhood and education.

Philippe Lazzarini

@UNLazzarini  

Commissioner-General of

@UNRWA

 

In #Gaza, over 1 million people did not receive food rations in August . 

 

In September, the number climbed to more than 1.4 million. 

 

Meanwhile, over 100,000 metric tons of food supplies, are stranded outside Gaza due to access restrictions, insecurity, damaged roads, + the breakdown of law & order. 

 

Again & again hunger is spreading in Gaza. It is entirely man-made. 

 

Nearly 70 per cent of crop fields have been destroyed. 

 

An entire population is forced to exclusively rely on humanitarian aid. 

 

Restrictions and delays in aid deliveries only worsen an already dire situation for displaced families. 

 

With winter approaching and weather conditions deteriorating, lack of adequate humanitarian supplies will only generate more suffering. 

 

What is needed urgently is a ceasefire to end the suffering of people in Gaza + across the region. 

 

The way forward through political will & leadership is to: - release all hostages, - ⁠open additional crossings - ⁠safe + unrestricted humanitarian access to reach people in need of assistance.

 

Choosing peace as a way forward is a choice of the courageous, it’s time.

 

UNRWA: Claims Versus Facts

 

 Sep 28

 

Israeli Forces airstrikes in #Lebanon have forced thousands of people to flee their homes among them Palestine Refugees. 

 

@UNRWA  teams are responding. 

 

We have opened seven shelters for the displaced, currently hosting 1,600 including Lebanese, Palestinian & Syrian. 

 

Many are traumatized due to the ongoing bombardment, uncertainty + fears.

 

 For some, it is trauma re-lived given repeated cycles of conflict over the decades. 

 

A further expansion of the war will only bring more suffering for civilians. 

 

 Civilians must be protected. 

 

Civilian infrastructure must not be targeted.

 

UNRWA: Stop Israel’s Violent Campaign Against Us

 

UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.   #DonateToUNRWA

Dear America- Israel wants enemies & religious extremism so it can raise more funds and sympathy from US. Israel wants us duped- and we are.

The Land & Love by Palestinian artist Ismail Shamout who was born in 1930 in Lydda - Palestine. During the Nakba of 1948, he and his family were forced out of their home during the assault of Jewish Zionist militant groups on their town. A long march on foot allowed them to settle in the refugee camps of Khan Younis in Gaza

 My most recent letter sent to my elected officials 10/2/2024

Dear America,

ISRAEL INVADES AMERICA again and again with every Zionist spokesperson on TV news spinning pro-Israel propaganda for an Apartheid nation that wants the "Holy" land, but not the native non-Jewish men, women, and children of that land.

Palestine- Gaza, the West Bank, and now Lebanon all bombed aggressively by Israel as it targets homes, apartment blocks, schools, roads and infrastructures, obliterating families and communities with American made lethal weaponry.

Israel wants enemies & religious extremism so it can raise more funds and sympathy from US.  Israel wants us duped- and we are.

Homegrown corporate corruption insists that the very foreign man-made Apartheid nation called Israel has "the right to defend itself", while refusing to see or explain the very real plight and suffering of Palestinians as Israel cruelly persecutes, impoverishes, and displaces them.

We don't have a Fourth Estate empowering our democracy, we have Zionism unfairly influencing our elected leaders & voters, leading US astray from American ideals of real democracy with full and equal rights for ALL people, regardless of supposed race or religion.

Taxpayer money should not be funding weapons and excuses for war mongering Israel.

And Israeli groups such as AIPAC should be registered as agents for a foreign country.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

This terrifying tit-for-tat between Israel, Iran and its proxies will only bring more death and disaster - Lina Khatib in The Guardian ..." the scale of the humanitarian crisis is unprecedented "

In The New Yorker listen to his voice as Mosab Abu Toha reads his powerful poem Under the Rubble drawn from his most recent book “Forest of Noise.” #Gaza #Palestine #antiwar

“If we stay in our houses, they bomb us. If we shelter in a school, they bomb us.” Read @MosabAbuToha‘s poem on Zeteo

Jordan FM’s unusual assurance of security:"We're here members of a Muslim Arab committee mandated by 57 Arab and Muslim countries and I can tell you here very unequivocally all of us are willing to right now to guarantee the security of Israel in the context of Israel ending the occupation and allowing for the emergence of a Palestinian State independent state "

Nesrine Malik in The Guardian: With Gaza in ruins and Lebanon under siege, what defence remains for Israel’s actions? ‘Existential threat’ is a thin excuse: the out-of-control force that is pushing the Middle East to the brink is Israel itself

Palestine Refugees - Press Conference | United Nations Sep 27, 2024 UNWRA... On the polio vaccination campaign, coordinated with Israel, he said, “if there is a will, we can make it happen.” The campaign, he said, “was a complex operation” involving the Israeli government and various UN agencies, “but the one who administered the vaccine to the children below the age of ten, was primarily UNRWA

WATCH: King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan addresses 2024 UN General Assembly

Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan on Israel-Hamas war: ‘The world has failed'

Dear America- American blood Arab blood Christian blood Jewish blood Muslim blood all blood is just blood. Stop arming endlessly escalating war. Just stop.

Dear America- We are in this collectively- no exceptions... Stop the hate- and the pollution of war.

Dear America- Don't let Israel drive a wedge between you and the truth.

Dear America, Please Help Stop Institutionalized Bigotry & Injustice

Dear America- Israel can not be trusted, and should not be subsidized

Don't give Israel the power to destroy the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, International Law, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights... and America.

Accusing peaceful pro-Palestine protesters of being "antisemitic" pleases Israel but it does not make any Jews any safer anywhere.

Send an honorable message far and wide- we believe in freedom of and from religion... and we believe in real justice, peace, and security for ALL !

 

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

 

This terrifying tit-for-tat between Israel, Iran and its proxies will only bring more death and disaster - Lina Khatib in The Guardian ..." the scale of the humanitarian crisis is unprecedented "

 "Though ordinary people and civil society are stepping up relief efforts, the scale of the humanitarian crisis is unprecedented, while the bankrupt Lebanese state has been largely unable to offer the displaced even basic services. The longer Israel’s military campaign goes on, the greater the potential for sectarian tension to increase as winter looms, resources are depleted and people’s anger and despair grows." 

This terrifying tit-for-tat between Israel, Iran and its proxies will only bring more death and disaster 

Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon, Iran’s ballistic attack – there will be no end to this turmoil until a diplomatic settlement is reached

Lina Khatib

Lina Khatib is director of the Soas Middle East Institute and associate fellow at the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House

READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/02/this-terrifying-tit-for-tat-between-israel-iran-and-its-proxies-will-only-bring-more-death-and-disaster

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In The New Yorker listen to his voice as Mosab Abu Toha reads his powerful poem Under the Rubble drawn from his most recent book “Forest of Noise.” #Gaza #Palestine #antiwar

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https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/10/07/under-the-rubble-mosab-abu-toha-poem?_sp=aaeaad0f-d7d1-4da7-8831-0889bd50beab.1727867099098

Published in the print edition of the October 7, 2024, issue, with the headline “Under the Rubble.”

 

Mosab Abu Toha is a poet from Gaza. He is the author of “Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear” and “Forest of Noise.”

“If we stay in our houses, they bomb us. If we shelter in a school, they bomb us.” Read @MosabAbuToha‘s poem on Zeteo

 “If we stay in our houses, they bomb us. If we shelter in a school, they bomb us.” 

Read

@MosabAbuToha‘s poem on his feelings and experiences marking one year of suffering. https://zeteo.com/p/exclusive-an-original-poem-from-acclaimed

 To read the rest of Mosab Abu Toha's poem please go to the link https://zeteo.com/p/exclusive-an-original-poem-from-acclaimed

Palestinian children play in a field of wild mustard flowers near the border fence east of Gaza City on March 16, 2018. Photo by MOHAMMED ABED via Getty Images.

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Zeteo is a new media organization that seeks to answer the questions that really matter, while always striving for the truth. Founded by Mehdi Hasan, Zeteo is a movement for media accountability, unfiltered news and bold opinions. 

Jordan FM’s unusual assurance of security:"We're here members of a Muslim Arab committee mandated by 57 Arab and Muslim countries and I can tell you here very unequivocally all of us are willing to right now to guarantee the security of Israel in the context of Israel ending the occupation and allowing for the emergence of a Palestinian State independent state "

 

transcript- 0:00

I think it can get much much more dangerous particularly if the Israeli government is allowed to continue with its escalatory measures against Palestinians in the West Bank and against the holy sites.

You have a deadlock in Gaza because the Israeli Prime Minister aborted The Exchange deal.  You have an escalation in Lebanon because ... he only understands ... the language of War. He hasn't listened to the International Community. 

He didn't listen to his allies so he launched War in Lebanon and now this government is trying to escalate on the West Bank. If that happens that is when the threat of regional war will become the more real because the symbolism and the importance of the holy sites... unless this government faces consequences then the whole region is falling into the abyss and the future of the whole region including the future of Israel will be compromised add one sentence the Israeli

Prime Minister came here today and said that Israel is surrounded by those who want to destroy it... 

We're here members of a Muslim Arab committee mandated by 57 Arab and Muslim countries and I can tell you here very unequivocally all of us are willing to right now to guarantee the security of Israel in the context of Israel ending the occupation and allowing for the emergence of a Palestinian State independent state

1:55

we continue to push for a ceasefire

Nesrine Malik in The Guardian: With Gaza in ruins and Lebanon under siege, what defence remains for Israel’s actions? ‘Existential threat’ is a thin excuse: the out-of-control force that is pushing the Middle East to the brink is Israel itself

 "The source of Israel’s security challenges, the heart of the “rising tensions” in the region, is Israel’s siege on Gaza, what is widely condemned as apartheid in the West Bank, its continuing occupation of territories that it has been ordered by UN security council resolutions to vacate, and its illegal expansion of settlements. As long as these conditions continue, uprisings through both justified and illegitimate means, from intifada to 7 October, will persist. And so will incidents of sharp confrontation, deadly to Palestinians, with Israeli forces and settlers, triggering a cycle of response among states such as Iran and non-state actors such as Hezbollah and the Houthis. A profound threat does exist, but it is to the stability of the Middle East and the wider Arab world, which Israel is increasingly drawing to the brink" 

With Gaza in ruins and Lebanon under siege, what defence remains for Israel’s actions?

Nesrine Malik

‘Existential threat’ is a thin excuse: the out-of-control force that is pushing the Middle East to the brink is Israel itself

READ MORE   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/30/with-gaza-in-ruins-and-lebanon-under-siege-what-defence-remains-for-israels-actions

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Palestine Refugees - Press Conference | United Nations Sep 27, 2024 UNWRA... On the polio vaccination campaign, coordinated with Israel, he said, “if there is a will, we can make it happen.” The campaign, he said, “was a complex operation” involving the Israeli government and various UN agencies, “but the one who administered the vaccine to the children below the age of ten, was primarily UNRWA

Press Conference by the deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, H.E. Mr. Mr. Ayman Safadi, and the Commissioner General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, following the UNRWA Ministerial Side Event. 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini today (26 Sep) said one million children below the age of 18 in Gaza are “living in the rubble, deeply traumatised,” among them, 600,000 school age children who “have already missed a full year” of education. 

Lazzarini said, “we should not make a mistake. These are not just attacks against UNRWA, they are attacks against the broader United Nations system, they are attacks against the broader international community. They aim first at stripping Palestinians from the refugee statue, but secondly also they aim at weakening or putting an end to the aspiration of the Palestinian for self-determination.” He said, “there are relentless efforts to outlaw UNRWA, to dismantle UNRWA, to eliminate UNRWA. We heard even at the beginning of the war that it became almost a war objective to get rid of UNRWA. 

Now, let's be clear. It has nothing to do with neutrality breaches.” The Commissioner General explained that the agency “has a system which are much more robust than the average of any other agency operating in the region. But because of our footprint, because of the complex political environment, because of the emotional divide, also preventing in the region, much more needs to be undertaken and we have agreed on that. And today we are regularly reporting back to the donors. 

On the polio vaccination campaign, coordinated with Israel, he said, “if there is a will, we can make it happen.” The campaign, he said, “was a complex operation” involving the Israeli government and various UN agencies, “but the one who administered the vaccine to the children below the age of ten, was primarily UNRWA. 

 Lazzarini said, “I think it is shortsighted and naive to believe that if you get rid of UNRWA or dismantle UNRWA you will have no refugees anymore. UNRWA’s mandate is to provide these human development activities. Even if we stop providing these activities, even you should shut down all the school and all the and a primary health centre. You will still have Palestinian refugees. The provision of the services and the statute are two different issues.”