Published : 29-05-2021
Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has sounded the alarm over the squalid humanitarian condition endured by Palestinian refugees.
UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini addressed the UN Security Council (UNSC) from the Agency’s headquarters in East Jerusalem, only a few hundred meters from the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where eight Palestine refugee families face the threat of forced eviction from their homes.
“I am also addressing the Council after having spent part of the week in Gaza, listening to countless stories of the tragic loss of loved ones”, said Lazzarini. “Following 11 days of airstrikes by the Israeli military forces and rocket attacks launched by Palestinian armed groups, over 250 people were killed in Gaza; 66 of them were children, of whom 19 went to UNRWA schools”.
Lazzarini said that despair is spreading in Palestine refugee camps beyond the occupied Palestinian territory. Despair and loss of hope make a dangerous mix in a highly volatile region, particularly for the youth, who feel increasingly disenfranchised and trapped.
“In Lebanon, nearly the entire population in the camps lives under the poverty line. During my last visit, I saw hopelessness growing. I met a young Palestine refugee who said he constantly asks himself whether he would die from COVID, from hunger, or while trying to cross the Mediterranean on a dingy”, added the UNRWA chief.
“During my last visit to Syria, I saw children in school uniforms emerging from the rubble of the Yarmouk camp to jump on an UNRWA bus. Their families had come to live amidst debris because they could no longer afford to pay rent”, the statement proceeded.
Lazzarini also said that in Jordan, despite relative stability, the pandemic dealt a huge blow to the economy. Again, the most vulnerable, like Palestine refugees - especially those who have fled from Syria - are hit hardest.
“In closing, no one has asked to remain a refugee seven decades later. Every Palestine refugee I meet wants a “normal life”, wants the right to live without fear and without discrimination”, said Lazzarini. “Like all people, they have an equal right to the enjoyment of their human rights in accordance with international law. This means that children can play and go to school, parents can protect and take care of their children, and young people have dreams.”
He concluded that Palestine refugees derive their status and rights from international law. The same law that strives to promote peace and equality. By seeking to weaken UNRWA, those who attack it only weaken the prospect for peace.
Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has sounded the alarm over the squalid humanitarian condition endured by Palestinian refugees.
UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini addressed the UN Security Council (UNSC) from the Agency’s headquarters in East Jerusalem, only a few hundred meters from the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where eight Palestine refugee families face the threat of forced eviction from their homes.
“I am also addressing the Council after having spent part of the week in Gaza, listening to countless stories of the tragic loss of loved ones”, said Lazzarini. “Following 11 days of airstrikes by the Israeli military forces and rocket attacks launched by Palestinian armed groups, over 250 people were killed in Gaza; 66 of them were children, of whom 19 went to UNRWA schools”.
Lazzarini said that despair is spreading in Palestine refugee camps beyond the occupied Palestinian territory. Despair and loss of hope make a dangerous mix in a highly volatile region, particularly for the youth, who feel increasingly disenfranchised and trapped.
“In Lebanon, nearly the entire population in the camps lives under the poverty line. During my last visit, I saw hopelessness growing. I met a young Palestine refugee who said he constantly asks himself whether he would die from COVID, from hunger, or while trying to cross the Mediterranean on a dingy”, added the UNRWA chief.
“During my last visit to Syria, I saw children in school uniforms emerging from the rubble of the Yarmouk camp to jump on an UNRWA bus. Their families had come to live amidst debris because they could no longer afford to pay rent”, the statement proceeded.
Lazzarini also said that in Jordan, despite relative stability, the pandemic dealt a huge blow to the economy. Again, the most vulnerable, like Palestine refugees - especially those who have fled from Syria - are hit hardest.
“In closing, no one has asked to remain a refugee seven decades later. Every Palestine refugee I meet wants a “normal life”, wants the right to live without fear and without discrimination”, said Lazzarini. “Like all people, they have an equal right to the enjoyment of their human rights in accordance with international law. This means that children can play and go to school, parents can protect and take care of their children, and young people have dreams.”
He concluded that Palestine refugees derive their status and rights from international law. The same law that strives to promote peace and equality. By seeking to weaken UNRWA, those who attack it only weaken the prospect for peace.
