UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini described the incident as part of a broader campaign against the UN and Palestinian refugees.
Lazzarini said the fire followed last week’s actions by Israeli authorities, who he accused of storming and demolishing buildings within the agency’s compound in the Sheikh Jarrah area.
According to Lazzarini, the destruction represents an unprecedented escalation. He warned that allowing such actions amounts to an attack on the UN and an attempt to dismantle the status of Palestinian refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. He added that the incidents were aimed at erasing the refugees’ history and undermining international law. In a brief statement, Lazzarini said there appeared to be “no limits” to the defiance of the UN and international legal norms in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The demolition last Tuesday, when Israeli authorities reportedly sent bulldozers into the Sheikh Jarrah compound and tore down UNRWA structures, drew swift condemnation from senior UN officials. Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk were among those who criticised the move, warning of its implications for humanitarian operations and the protection of civilians.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
