UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini calls on Switzerland to show solidarity
Published: Saturday, Feb 17th 2024, 02:00
Updated At: Saturday, Feb 17th 2024, 02:01
العودة إلى البث المباشر
The Swiss head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has called on Switzerland to show solidarity with the fate of Palestinian refugees. If the money tap remains turned off, the aid organization will have to cease its activities in April, said Philippe Lazzarini.
The Swiss government and the commissions must be aware of what it means if UNRWA can no longer finance its activities, Lazzarini said in an interview with Tamedia published on Saturday, adding that the life-saving measures for the population in the Gaza Strip would be affected just as much as activities in the West Bank, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
Following serious accusations against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, Switzerland is waiting to disburse aid funds for the current year. A contribution of 20 million francs is at stake. According to the interview, the Federal Council wants to make a decision on this in the spring. Lazzarini will appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee at the end of March.
UNRWA is at the center of a controversy. Israel accused 12 of the 30,000 regional employees of being involved in the attack on Israel by the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas on October 7. Since the accusations, Lazzarini has had no contact with Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, he said. From previous conversations, he had the impression that Cassis recognized the role of UNRWA in the Middle East.
Campaign against the aid organization
Lazzarini assumes that Israel is waging a campaign against the aid organization "with the aim of destroying UNRWA," he told Tamedia. The campaign has not only been running since the recent accusations. "It is a long-term, political goal, because it is believed that if the relief organization is abolished, the status of the Palestinian refugee will be clarified once and for all - and with it the right of return," he said.
Several countries, including the USA and Germany, the two largest contributors, have since stopped providing aid. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, called for the continuation of the UN agency's operations at the end of January.
©كيستون/إسدا
Arabic 
English 
German 
French 
Spanish