– “I hope that the Federal Council will follow the recommendations”
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, welcomes the vote of the Foreign Affairs Committee, but is worried about the future.
Published today at 5:34 p.m.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, April 30, 2024.
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“It’s good news. It is important that Switzerland continues its humanitarian tradition in the region,” responded Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA. The Neuchâtel resident was in the middle of a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, when he learned that the Foreign Affairs Committee had voted in favor of resuming partial financing of the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees.
On the other hand, he was concerned about the commission’s desire to no longer directly finance UNRWA in the long term. “I hope that this will not materialize before Switzerland and the other member states of the UN have worked towards the creation of a Palestinian state”, that is to say before the agency can “stand withdraw from the region,” he said.
Image of Switzerland at stake
“Until then, any weakening of the agency will be perceived by the Palestinians as an attack on their aspirations for self-determination,” he warned before citing a poll dating from last week. “80% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip believe that the goal of weakening or dismantling UNRWA is linked to abandoning the two-state solution.”
Since October 7, 2023, up to 1.7 million people, or more than 75% of the population, have been displaced in the Gaza Strip, according to UNRWA.
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As a Swiss citizen, added Philippe Lazzarini, “I am worried about the perception of Switzerland. It is important that this country, traditionally humanitarian, neutral and impartial, continues to be perceived as such. In such a polarized context, it is essential that this policy be continued.” If Switzerland “were to abandon its support for an agency like UNRWA, it would very quickly be identified in this part of the world as a country implementing a partial agenda, an agenda where international humanitarian law is applied at two levels. “. This could have “a lasting impact on the role that Switzerland could play on the international scene,” he believes.
$267 million in aid suspended
UNRWA, which coordinates almost all aid to Gaza, has been in crisis since Israel accused a dozen of its 13,000 employees of having participated in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. This led several donor countries to suspend their funding.
Several states have resumed their contribution, but the total amount of funds that remain suspended “amounts to 267 million dollars”, the majority of which is linked to the interruption of American assistance, explained the head of the UNRWA. “The United States has made it clear that it will maintain this freeze until March 2025, due to the Congressional ban.” Furthermore, the United Kingdom and Austria have yet to decide whether or not to resume their support. As for the decision of the Swiss government, it cannot be long in coming.
Yannick Van der Schueren has been a journalist in the international section since 2008. Previously she was an independent journalist, in the written press and on radio. Ella Maillart Prize 2007 for her reporting in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq and Belarus.More informations
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