The main United Nations aid agency for the Palestinians, UNWRA, has had to close its headquarters in East Jerusalem after Israeli protesters twice set fire to its perimeter yesterday when employees of this and other organizations were inside the building. Since then the offices have been inoperative.
“In light of this second atrocious incident in less than a week, I have made the decision to close our complex until adequate security is restored,” reported the agency’s commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, who described the event as “scandalous.” ”. Although there were no casualties among the agency’s staff, the fire caused extensive damage to the outdoor areas and posed a serious risk to the equipment, since UNRWA headquarters has a gasoline and diesel station on that land for its fleet of vehicles. automobiles.
Lazzarini explained that the headquarters director and other employees had to put out the fire themselves, as Israeli emergency teams and police were slow to appear. “A crowd accompanied by armed men was seen outside the complex chanting ‘Burn the United Nations,’” ??Lazzarini said of the perpetrators of the attack, scenes that have also been broadcast in local media and social networks.
The UNRWA representative assured that his staff has been suffering harassment for months: “They have regularly suffered harassment and intimidation and on several occasions, Israeli extremists threatened our staff with firearms,” ??he added.
UNRWA, created to care for Palestinian refugees who fled or were forced to abandon their homes during the 1948 war around the time of Israel’s creation, has long been a target of Israeli hostility. Since the start of the war with Gaza, senior Israeli officials have repeatedly called for the agency to be closed, accusing it of complicity with the Islamist Hamas movement in Gaza, an accusation the United Nations strongly rejects. Israel accused a dozen agency employees of participating in the October 7 Hamas attacks and alleges that more than two hundred of its staff have ties to Islamists; and does not hide his intention to close it.
These accusations caused many donor countries to cut their funding to UNRWA, although most have resumed it in the absence of conclusive evidence presented by Israel, including European Union countries.
Lazzarini insisted that it is the responsibility of the State of Israel, “as an occupying power,” to ensure that United Nations personnel and facilities are protected “in accordance with international law” and called for the perpetrators of the attacks to be investigated and held accountable. accounts. Germany condemned “the escalation of violent demonstrations” against UNRWA in East Jerusalem and joined the call for Israel to guarantee the protection of the agency.
In recent days, attacks by Israeli extremists on aid trucks heading to Gaza, mainly from Jordan, have increased. The blockades, some of which have been violent and have included the dumping of cargo on the ground and the destruction of food; They occur at various points along the route the convoys take, such as Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev Desert, the Allenby Pass between Jordan and Israel, or large highway intersections near Jerusalem. More than 200 people participated in Tuesday’s blockade, which ended with six detainees.
According to Israeli media, the rallies are being led by Tzav 9, a right-wing organization that opposes sending aid to Gaza while hostages are still held there. One of its spokespersons explained to Israeli public radio Kan that among its members is a relative of a person held captive by Hamas. She defends the argument that the aid that enters Gaza is withheld by the Islamist group.
