Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini has said that Israel has violated its international law obligations after the Israeli parliament’s (Knesset) unprecedented decision to ban UNRWA from operating in Israel and the occupied territories, which establishes a detrimental precedent.

Lazzarini issued a statement today in which he stated that the Knesset vote is the most recent action in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role in providing assistance and humanitarian services to Palestinian refugees.

He further stated that the decision will only exacerbate the suffering of Palestinians as a “collective punishment”, particularly in Gaza, where the population has been enduring an “indescribable hell” for over a year.

He emphasized that this decision will jeopardize the education of over 650,000 children, thus placing an entire generation of students at risk.

Source: Saudi Press Agency