RAMALLAH, March 29, 2025 (WAFA) - Member of the PLO's Executive Committee and head of its Refugee Affairs Department, Ahmed Abu Holi, called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarin, to reverse their decision to withdraw their international staff from their areas of operation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.
Abu Holi said in a statement on Friday that the decision to withdraw international staff aligns with the two Israeli laws that ban UNRWA’s activities and prohibit its international and local staff from operating.
He emphasized that the decision to withdraw international staff fails to consider the dire humanitarian conditions in the region, particularly in light of the ongoing genocide, starvation, and displacement being inflicted by Israeli occupation forces on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. This aggression, he stressed, continues to this day, alongside the attacks on refugee camps in the West Bank.
Abu Holi described the decision as a hasty move and a dangerous precedent that needs to be rectified, especially as it absolves the United Nations of its responsibilities toward the 1.9 million Palestinian citizens residing in shelters managed by UNRWA and international organizations in the Gaza Strip.
Abu Holi added that these citizens depend on UNRWA services and life-saving humanitarian assistance amid the ongoing aggression and the use of starvation as a weapon by Israeli occupation forces, which aim to push them toward forced displacement. This constitutes a humanitarian crime and a violation of international law, the United Nations Charter, and its relevant resolutions, he said.
He explained that the presence of international staff serves as a protective factor for Palestinians who have sought refuge in shelters under the United Nations flag. He questioned what kind of protection the organization could provide without its international staff, whether civilians' needs would be met remotely, and whether local staff would be able to work without international protection.
Abu Holi cautioned that in the absence of international staff, there is a heightened risk of Israeli occupation forces committing additional crimes, as these staff members serve as vital international witnesses in global courts.
He called on Guterres and Lazzarini to take immediate action and exert pressure to open the crossings and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid, which the Israeli occupation has blocked since March 1, 2025.
He emphasized the urgency of preventing the famine currently afflicting the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, which constitutes a clear violation of Security Council Resolutions 2720 and 2728 mandating the opening of humanitarian corridors for the delivery of aid, as well as Resolution 2730, which obligates the occupying power to respect international organizations and ensure the protection of their personnel.
He called for action to compel the occupying forces to comply with Security Council resolutions, rather than withdrawing their international staff and evading their responsibilities in protecting the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.
T.R.
