Caretaker Prime Minister holds discussions with Head of UN review group to examine UNRWA’s conduct

RAMALLAH: The Prime Minister of the caretaker government, Mohammed Shtayyeh, discussed today with the Head of the independent UN review group to examine UNRWA's conduct, Catherine Colonna, the review procedures related to the allegations made by Israel against a number of the agency's employees in Gaza. During a meeting in Ramallah, Shtayyeh said that Israel's war on UNRWA is a war against the right of return and refugees, and it is not the result of the events of October 7, but rather preceded it by a long time. He added that the goal of the Israeli allegations is political and that the response to them must be political, in addition to dealing with the legal and technical aspects during the review process. "Israel must not be allowed to shift global attention from demanding to stop genocide crimes to unconfirmed allegations about individuals," Shtayyeh said. He stressed the necessity of preserving the UN agency, not only because of the importance of what it provides to Palestinian refugees in all their places of residence, but also because it is a cumulative memory of the suffering of the Palestinian people and a guarantor of their inalienable rights, especially the right of return. Shtayyeh called for the speedy completion of the review and work to mobilize countries to refinance UNRWA, especially in light of the unprecedented humanitarian situation in Gaza. Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA