UNRWA is helpless, Israel continues to push

JAKARTA - Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini stated that Israel continues to exert political pressure to "eliminate" the institution he leads.

Lazzarini made the statement at a press conference on Friday (13/2) evening on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

He said the situation in Gaza "is still tragic" as local residents can barely meet basic needs and struggle to stay alive due to the Israeli war.

"Children in Gaza have not been going to school for more than two years," Lazzarini said, stressing the importance of UNRWA continuing health services and basic and secondary education there.

He said that the agency was under great pressure and Israel continued to violate international law.

"Israel continues to exert political pressure to eliminate UNRWA, and we see our headquarters being destroyed in the occupied territory of East Jerusalem," Lazzarini said as quoted by Antara.

He also said that Israelis who took over Palestinian land increased violence and land seizures in the West Bank.

Lazzarini stressed the need for attention to the situation in the West Bank before it was too late and before it damaged the future of the Two-State Solution.