Commissioner-general says Israeli authorities has undertaken a defamation marketing campaign in opposition to the UN company.
The UN company for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has accused the Israeli authorities of “shopping for advertisements on Google to dam customers from giving donations” to the company.
UNRWA Commissioner-Normal Philippe Lazzarini stated in a publish on X that Israel’s makes an attempt to defame the company each hurt its status and put the lives of its employees in danger.
“These deliberate efforts to unfold misinformation ought to cease + be investigated,” Lazzarini wrote on Saturday, calling for extra rules for corporations, together with social media platforms, to fight disinformation and hate speech.
The unfold of misinformation & disinformation continues for use as a weapon within the warfare in #Gaza.
As a part of its marketing campaign to undermine & discredit @UNRWA, the Authorities of Israel has been shopping for advertisements on @Google to dam customers from giving donations to the Company + undertake a…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 31, 2024
“The unfold of misinformation & disinformation continues for use as a weapon within the warfare in Gaza,” he wrote.
Israel has campaigned for years in opposition to UNRWA, the principle organisation delivering humanitarian support to Palestinians within the occupied Palestinian territory and offering providers for Palestinian refugees in different international locations since 1949, claiming it has connections with “terrorists” and lobbying for its closure.
Final month, the UN denounced an Israeli authorities spokesperson after he described Lazzarini as a “terrorist sympathiser”.
David Mencer had taken goal at Lazzarini in a videotaped speech, claiming the company had been deeply infiltrated by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The UN stated the feedback had been “reprehensible” and warned that they jeopardise Lazzarini’s security.
Earlier this 12 months, Israel alleged that among the company’s employees participated within the Hamas-led October 7 assaults on Israel, main greater than a dozen worldwide donors to droop help.
A UN-authorised unbiased assessment discovered that Israel had not supplied credible proof for its accusations and most donors have since reinstated funding.
Israeli assaults in Gaza have incessantly focused UNRWA amenities, killing 212 of its employees members and hitting at the least 70 p.c of its colleges, in response to the organisation.
Not less than 40,691 individuals have been killed and 94,060 wounded in Israel’s warfare on Gaza, in response to in response to the Gaza Well being Ministry. Not less than 1,139 individuals had been killed within the Hamas-led assaults on Israel, in response to an Al Jazeera tally based mostly on official Israeli statistics.
