UNRWA Seeks to Counter Israel's Attempts to End its Operations

The Commissioner-General of the UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, called on Monday for "countering Israel's attempts to end the operations of the United Nations agency." Lazzarini stated during a meeting of the agency's advisory committee that "Israel has long criticized the agency's mandate. However, it is now seeking to terminate UNRWA's operations by refusing to acknowledge the agency as a UN entity supported by a vast majority of member states." He added, "If we do not resist, UN entities and other international organizations will be the next targets, further undermining our multilateral system."