MUNICH: The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) issued a stark warning on Friday, stating that the United States has yet to clarify its vision for the agency’s future, and cautioned that abandoning it would create a ‘Black Hole’ like Iraq after 2003.
“We are still not clear about how the US sees the future role of UNRWA,” Philippe Lazzarini said.
The remarks come amid ongoing tensions between Washington and the agency. The Trump administration has accused UNRWA staff of having links with Hamas—allegations the agency has vigorously disputed.
Once the agency’s largest donor, the United States froze its funding in January 2024 following Israeli allegations that about a dozen UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
The funding halt has plunged the agency into uncertainty as it struggles to provide aid to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region.
“There is no definitive answer, because the interest of the US is also to be successful in this process, and if you get rid of an agency like ours before you have an alternative, you are also creating a huge black hole,” UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini told Reuters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
“Remember what happened in Iraq in 2003 when the entire administration had been dismantled (following the US-led invasion). There was no alternative, and people were left without any services,” he said in an interview.
For decades, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has served as the primary international body responsible for supporting millions of Palestinians who fled or were displaced during the 1948 war after the establishment of Israel.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, who is set to leave his post at the end of March, said the agency does not anticipate further funding cuts in the immediate future. He stressed that UNRWA continues to provide essential public health and education services that few other organisations are equipped to deliver.
Lazzarini also called on Arab states to increase their financial contributions, noting that their support has not matched their strong expressions of solidarity with Palestinian refugees.
Meanwhile, Israel has accused UNRWA of bias. In October 2024, the Israeli parliament passed legislation barring the agency from operating within the country and prohibiting Israeli officials from engaging with it.
