– Europe Press/Contact/Omar Ashtawi
Madrid, December 5 (European Press) –
The United Nations General Assembly on Friday approved by an overwhelming majority to extend the mandate of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for another three years, despite attempts to criminalize its work as part of the Israeli army’s more than two-year-old offensive against the Gaza Strip, where more than 70,100 Palestinians were killed.
The vote – which sets out the extension of the mandate until June 30, 2029 – went ahead with 151 votes in favour, while ten countries voted against, including the United States and Israel. In addition, 14 other countries abstained from voting.
Under the resolution “Assistance to Palestinian Refugees,” the association praised UNRWA for providing vital assistance to Palestinian refugees and its role as a stabilizing factor in the Middle East region.
During the session, the plenary gave the “green light” to several other resolutions, showing their “full support for the agency’s mandate and condemnation” of the attacks against its employees, which resulted in the death and injury of more than 300 workers, while warning against attempts to “undermine its operations” and asking the Israeli government to respect its “privileges and immunities.”
They also reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian population to their property and income, condemned Israeli practices that violate the human rights of Palestinians in the occupied territories, in particular Israeli settlements in both Palestine and Syria, and urged action against “extremist” settlers and their supporters.
Lazzarini: It is now necessary to translate it into real commitment
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini welcomed the “overwhelming vote in the UN General Assembly to renew the mandate” of the agency and stressed that this “reflects the broad solidarity among people around the world with the Palestine refugees.”
He added, “It is also an acknowledgment of the international community’s responsibility to support the humanitarian and human development needs of Palestinian refugees pending a just and lasting solution to their decades-long plight.”
However, the head of UNRWA confirmed this through a message he posted on his personal page on the social networking site