Filippo Grandi tells media the world is facing ‘jigsaw of crises’
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Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has warned against the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, at a time of increased fears of an Israeli push on Rafah. He also called for the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza.
In an interview during the Munich Security Conference, Mr Grandi told media that “to help the people of Gaza, there is only one way forward”.
“We know the UN Secretary General [Antonio Guterres] has said it, everybody’s now saying it: humanitarian ceasefire, liberation of hostages and access of aid,” he added.
“All these three things are very urgent … and that’s the only way forward. I don’t see any other any other way forward for helping the people.”
He warned that without a ceasefire, there would be “more death, more suffering, more resentment building in the region, with incalculable consequences also for the future of the stability”.
The UNHCR is not responsible for the welfare of Palestinian refugees, the only grouping excluded from the body’s mandate because of the specific nature of the displacement of Palestinians due to the Israeli occupation.
Mr Grandi urged donors not to abandon the UNRWA, the body charged with caring for generations of Palestinian refugees.
He led the UNRWA from 2010 until 2014 and before that was deputy commissioner general of the organisation.
While an investigation into Israeli accusations against UNRWA workers being affiliated with Hamas is under way, Mr Grandi said it was “an organisation with a very specific mandate over Palestinian refugees, but that means that it has a mandate over two-thirds of the Gaza population, and is the only vehicle to provide vital assistance”.
He explained that if the “UNRWA is not permitted to work, or is defunded, I can hardly see who can substitute [for it]”.
It has come under attack from the Israeli government, not only through its accusation that a minority of workers have links to Hamas, but also because it deems the organisation as responsible for perpetuating the Palestinian refugee issue.
“The things for which UNRWA is blamed, especially the perpetuation of the Palestinian refugee question, is a misplaced accusation … any organisation dealing with that will find itself in the same situation,” he said.
He called for the world to remember the Palestinian refugee question belongs to the political process.
Mr Grandi said the issue of refugees “is mixed with security borders, Jerusalem and all the other fundamentals of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. So this is where it needs to be resolved”.
“The current crisis is not making solutions easier. If it continues, they will become more difficult,” he said.
He described the threat of Israeli forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza as being potentially “devastating for the future of peace”, adding another layer of problems to be resolved.
However, Mr Grandi sounded a brief note of optimism.
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