Archbishop Atallah Hanna (center) at an anti-Israeli occupation protest in the Palestinian city of Al-Khalil (Hebron), in 2015. (Photo: via MEMO)
Archbishop Hanna described the targeting of UNRWA as part of broader attempts to erase the Palestinian refugee issue and undermine refugees’ historical rights.
Archbishop Atallah Hanna, head of the Sebastia of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, has warned of a “systematic” campaign aimed at demonising the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), including attempts to portray it as a “terrorist organization”.
In a post on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Archbishop Hanna stressed that UNRWA is a “humanitarian organization with distinction” which has played a central role in serving Palestinian refugees since the Nakba of 1948.
He said that the takeover of UNRWA’s headquarters in Jerusalem by Israeli occupation authorities and the expulsion of its employees reflect “an unjustified hostility towards an international organisation that witnessed the Nakba and carries the memory of the suffering of the Palestinian people”.
Attempts to Erase Refugee Issue
Earlier this month, occupation forces stormed the sealed headquarters of UNRWA in Jerusalem, cut off all communications, seized equipment and replaced the UN flag with an Israeli one. According to the UN agency, UNRWA staff were forced to vacate the compound at the beginning of the year, following “months of harassment that included arson attacks in 2024, hateful demonstrations & intimidation.”
Archbishop Hanna stressed that the incitement against UNRWA continues despite its longstanding relief and humanitarian work since 1948, particularly in refugee camps. He described the targeting of the agency as part of broader attempts to erase the Palestinian refugee issue and undermine refugees’ historical rights.
Call to Arab States
He called on Arab states and supporters of the Palestinian people around the world to take urgent action to halt the incitement campaign, stressing that UNRWA’s role has become even more critical in light of the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
UNRWA “is an urgent necessity, and today the importance of its presence has increased as the pain and sorrows in the Gaza Strip increases,” he stated.
Archbishop Hanna said the agency’s founding mandate remains fully valid, noting that “the consequences of the 1948 Nakba are still before us”, and that Palestinians have endured “a new Nakba in Gaza”, alongside ongoing developments in the occupied West Bank.
He said the “incitement against UNRWA should stop especially since the purpose for which it was founded is still in place.”
The archbishop urged the rejection and condemnation of all forms of incitement against UNRWA, and called for the protection of its humanitarian and relief mission “during these painful and sorrowful times that our people are going through”.
Israeli Laws Banning UNRWA
The UN General Assembly established UNRWA more than 70 years ago to assist Palestinians who were forcibly displaced from their land.
In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset (parliament) passed two laws banning UNRWA’s operations in Israel and areas under its occupation and prohibiting Israeli authorities from having any contact with the agency. The laws took effect on January 30.
Israel alleges that UNRWA employees were involved in the resistance operation of October 7, 2023 – a charge vehemently denied by the agency and investigated by an independent panel appointed by the UN. The panel closed several cases amid a notable lack of evidence.
This month, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to renew the UNRWA mandate for three years. The resolution was backed by 151 votes against 10, and 14 abstentions.
(PC, MEMO, Anadolu)
No comments:
Post a Comment