Unrwa chief accuses Israel of endangering staff through misinformation campaign

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (Unrwa), has warned that the agency is at a critical juncture due to a sustained misinformation campaign led by the Israeli government.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Lazzarini condemned the campaign, which includes billboards and advertisements in the US, Europe, and Australia, falsely accusing Unrwa of supporting “terrorism”.  

Lazzarini stressed that this campaign has heightened risks for Unrwa staff, particularly in the West Bank and Gaza, where 273 agency employees have already been killed.

“These baseless accusations are not only defamatory but also put the lives of our personnel in grave danger,” he said.  

He argued that the Israeli government’s ultimate aim is to undermine the refugee status of Palestinians. “The attacks on Unrwa are designed to delegitimise the rights of Palestinian refugees, stripping them of their internationally recognised protections,”

Lazzarini stated. However, he clarified that the rights of Palestinian refugees to protection and assistance are inherent and do not depend on Unrwa’s existence.  

Critics have accused Israel of employing such tactics as part of a broader strategy to dismantle support for Palestinian refugees, thereby weakening their claims to justice and self-determination.