Interview: Young Palestinians in East Jerusalem are excluded from the UNRWO Training Center

Philippe Lazzarini’s head of the Israeli forces and Jerusalem’s local government staff “strongly entered” the Kalandian training center and ordered their immediate evacuation.

“At least 350 students and 30 staff were present and affected. There was tears and sound bombs,” Mr. Lazzarini explained.

Development comes after the ban Unrwa Activities in Israel entered into force, in accordance with the laws passed in October, Israeli KNESSET.

At least 350 students and 30 staff were present in the Center at the time.

The Israeli police accompanied by the municipal staff, and several other UK schools in East Jerusalem, requiring its closure.

The incidents have disrupted learning for about 250 students attending three schools, together with trainees is now locked from the training center.

In an interview with UN News Abdelmonem Makki On Wednesday Roland Friedrich, the workdem in the west coast spoke about the actions and explained that the Agency was dedicated to the continuation of its services, including education in the occupied western bank, and emergency education programs for 200,000 children in Gaza.

This interview is arranged on clarity and length.

UN news: Israeli forces and staff from the municipality of Jerusalem in Tuesday entered several educational facilities in the eastern Jerusalem. Can you share with us exactly what happened?

Roland Friedrich: Israeli security forces, accompanied by the municipal staff, strongly entered our Kalandi education training center and ordered to be closed. This center of vocational training provides training more than 350 vulnerable Palestinian Youth from the entire Western bank, and is in what Israel considers the sovereign territory of the state of Israel. According to international law, the territory is taken.

After about three hours of discussion, Israeli security forces and representatives of the municipalities we went and we could continue with education, but this is the first time that educational installation in the eastern Jerusalem didresy of Israeli security forces.

And at the same time, the employees of the Israeli government paid for three schools in Occupied East Jerusalem and threatened to close them, seeking additional information, which was another violation of UNRW privileges and immunity.

Roland Friedrich Director of the Radio UNRWA, West Bank during interview with news in the UN.

UN news: What was the said reason for these school closures of Israel?

Roland Friedrich: On 30. January (KNESSet’s Legislation of the UNRWA Prohibition) entered into force fully entered into force. It has six schools, three inside the barrier, three in the shu’fate refugee camp on the Palestinian side of the barrier.

There are two to the central health, one in the old town of Jerusalem, and the other in the shu’fate refugee camp, the rest of the professional development in Kalandija. And finally, we have a seat in Sheikh Jarrah. When the accounts entered into force, we continued to submit our services to patients and children. We also work a collection of garbage in the Refugee Camp Shu’Fat, and these basic services continue for now.

As for our headquarters in East Jerusalem, we look for staff not to work from there. In the last 12 months, we saw repeated aggressions, attacks, intimidation, vandalization and after these accounts were formally adopted, we saw another UptoC in incidents.

UN news: What does this mean for Israeli international obligations?

Roland Friedrich: These laws are contrary to Israel’s obligations as Member State. The Charter has a very clear provision on what is expected. Israel is the General Convention on the privileges and immunity of the United Nations, of course, the obligation to protect UN facilities and ensure that privileges and immunity are respected.

This is extremely problematic as in terms of what international law must say, but also in connection with our field work. The second influence of these laws was on an obstacle to coordination directly with Israeli traders and especially the Israeli army. This currently means, we cannot talk to them, we cannot deconflict, we cannot initiate questions concerning our installations and we can no longer solve the approaches access directly.

It is even more problematic because we now have an unprecedented situation in the north west coast, and more than 40,000 people displaced due to very militarized security forces from 21. January. And that never happened in the history of the west coast since Israel’s interest that started in 1967. years.

UN news: What is the next step for the Agency in response to these measures, given the fact that the Agency has a clear mandate from the UN General Assembly?

Roland Friedrich: We have a very clear mandate, and we commit to continue to continue delivering our services as efficiently, as long as possible and wherever possible, because here we have an obligation.

To get an example, we lead 96 schools with more than 50,000 students in the west coast. Efficient this year The number of students who are applying to the school in the west coast in the west coast has increased due to socioeconomic deterioration in the field.

We provide primary health care for half a million patients. We run 43 Health Center and the hospital in the field. We provide financial assistance and investment services to more than 200,000 vulnerable Palestinians, and some of that in close coordination with other UN agencies.

We have a mandate to continue with it and we are dedicated to what we long can.

UN news: UNRWA emphasizes the need to preserve children’s approach to education and protect the UN facility. Does the Agency have alternative plans to enable these children to continue school if this incident occurs again?

Roland Friedrich: I think we need to distinguish the eastern Jerusalem and the rest of the Western bank, because the situation exists somewhat different in matters concerning the schools we lead and places where we run these schools.

There are very, very little alternatives, if any. And there is certainly no alternative to the Kalandic training center in which we provide this professional training of 350 participants coming from the West Bank. It is training for training that UNHWA has been operating since the 1950s, and there is no alternative.

When we look at the situation in the west coast due to current Israeli work, it has a very direct impact on children’s ability to access education due to displacement in the north west coast and due to current operations.

In four schools are in four refugee camps that did not manage from 21. January, which means approximately 5,000 children who do not have access to education now. We try to provide an alternative means of learning, but this is clearly an unprecedented situation of displacement.

It is not easy to reach all children and their families. They are, of course, dislocated and traumatized, and we are very worried that there is no clear end of this operation that would allow us to reopen schools and get children in which they belong. And that would be in a safe space, in our school.

UN news: beyond immediate impact on children and staff involved in such incidents, which are broader implications for education and long-term perspectives for children in the west coast, including eastern Jerusalem.

Roland Friedrich: In the OPT (occupied Palestinian Territory), UNRWA was a long other largest education provider, and we do so in accordance with the UN values, in accordance with UNESCO“Standards. We have a very robust curriculum for human rights tolerance, probably unique in the region.

For example, in Gaza, for example, we used to provide education for more than 300,000 children. Now 600,000 children who are out of education are more than a year and a half, deeply traumatized, live in misery.

And everyone should have an interest in ensuring that these children have access to education, quality education as quickly as possible. We are committed to doing this to the extent that the measure is possible. We started an emergency program in Gaza, and we are now executed, with more than 200,000 children applied for these urgent education programs in Gaza that are forward.

When it comes to the Western Bank, we have 50,000 children in our schools, mainly from bad backgrounds, living in areas of conflict, in areas where there are a lot of poverty, especially refugee camps. And we continue to provide these services and we will do that as long as possible.