Guterres says accusations against UNRWA are “false” and “baseless”

UN Secretary-General calls on US to pressure Israel to end war

September 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has told Al Jazeera television that accusations against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) are “false” and “baseless,” referring to ongoing Israeli allegations of alleged collaboration between the agency and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

“The accusations against UNRWA are false and unfounded,” Guterres said. Earlier, his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said during a press conference that he could not confirm Israeli reports that three UNRWA members killed in an attack on a school in the Gaza Strip were also members of the Islamist group.

The Secretary-General then urged the United States to “adopt a firmer stance” towards the Israeli government in order to “force them” to end the war. “We are witnessing impunity and continued violations of the United Nations Charter and international law,” he added.

Finally, he expressed his confidence in the international judicial system and expressed his concern about the actions of “many members of the Israeli government to undermine the two-state solution” by approving new settlements in the West Bank despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determining that they are illegal.

“We must categorically reject settlements, land grabs and any annexation of the West Bank. The Security Council has failed to end today’s most intense conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine,” Guterres added.