Peace Board met with UNRWA several times over Gaza — Asharq Al-Awsat
In the Gaza Strip, Palestine, representatives of the U.S.-created Peace Board met several times with officials from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East — UNRWA. At the same time, the Peace Board has not publicly included the agency among its partners for rebuilding the territory, Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing the Associated Press.
Former UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told AP that the Palestinian technocratic committee selected by the Peace Board for the future administration of the Gaza Strip seeks to cooperate with the agency. According to him, committee chairman Ali Shaath said shortly before the end of Lazzarini's term that he did not know how he could succeed without UNRWA.
At least three meetings
Two senior UN officials and a Peace Board representative, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AP that the Peace Board had repeatedly contacted UNRWA after the ceasefire agreement was signed. They also reported at least three meetings between agency representatives and the Palestinian committee this year; the latest took place this month.
An internal description of a January 26 meeting in Cairo, at which UNRWA was not represented, indicates that Shaath spoke positively about the agency, expressed his intention to restore its operations, and said the committee's system would rely heavily on UNRWA's work. One UN official also said that the Tony Blair Institute, a Peace Board partner, had sought assistance from agency staff.
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UNRWA's role in Gaza
A Peace Board representative confirmed contacts with UNRWA but said their purpose was to study the agency's work in order to develop “much more efficient and accountable” programs. According to him, UNRWA's days are coming to an end, but its programs may survive if they serve Gaza residents well. He added that agency staff may remain if they pass vetting and carry out their mandate rather than promote Hamas ideology or interests.
Lazzarini called this position contradictory. According to UNRWA, about 11,000 Palestinian employees of the agency work in the Gaza Strip. They conduct approximately 14,000 medical consultations every day, maintain water supply and waste management systems for more than one million Palestinians, and implement educational programs for children.
Israel seeks to end UNRWA's work in Gaza and has repeatedly accused the agency of infiltration by Hamas militants. As AP notes, the International Court of Justice has stated that these allegations were not substantiated. Lazzarini said he had not received written evidence supporting the allegations, although he dismissed employees whom Israel linked to the October 7, 2023 attack.
