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U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks throughout a press convention on the United Nations headquarters.
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U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks throughout a press convention on the United Nations headquarters.
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As Israel prepares to escalate its navy marketing campaign on the southern Gaza metropolis of Rafah, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield instructed NPR that Israel has an obligation to maintain civilians protected, and that underneath present circumstances, a deliberate navy operation there “can’t proceed.”
The movement of humanitarian help continues to lag far behind the wants of the almost 1.5 million Palestinians who’ve taken shelter in Rafah.
In the meantime, the first company delivering assist on the bottom, UNRWA, continues to be embroiled in scandal.
On Saturday, the Israeli navy mentioned it discovered a community of Hamas tunnels underneath the company’s Gaza headquarters. The commissioner basic of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, mentioned the company was unaware of what was beneath the constructing and that the allegations “benefit an unbiased inquiry.”
The beleaguered group faces a disaster of funding, as prime donor nations, together with america, have moved to droop their funding. This got here in response to accusations leveled by Israel in late January that 12 UNRWA workers had direct involvement within the Hamas assault on Oct. 7, which killed some 1,200 individuals in Israel.
In an interview on Friday with NPR diplomatic correspondent Michele Kelemen, Thomas-Greenfield spoke in regards to the U.S. place on Israel’s plans to ramp up navy operations in Rafah, and the efforts to make sure humanitarian assist continues to succeed in civilians on the bottom.
This interview has been calmly edited for size and readability and contains prolonged web-only questions and solutions.
Interview Highlights
Michele Kelemen: Israel appears to be turning its consideration to the south, to Rafah, the place tons of of 1000’s of Palestinians are sheltered they usually’re already displaced by the combating. Is the U.S. laying out any pink strains for the Israelis on that? As a result of I do know you have heard plenty of concern on the U.N. about that scenario.
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield: Look, we have now been completely clear that underneath the present circumstances in Rafah, a navy operation now in that space can’t proceed. And that may dramatically exacerbate the humanitarian emergency that we’re all in search of to alleviate proper now. Israel has an obligation to make sure that civilians, that their civilian inhabitants is protected and that they are safe and that they’ve entry to humanitarian assist and to fundamental companies. And I feel you heard the secretary, [Antony Blinken,] make these statements clearly throughout his conferences and in his engagements with the press when he was there.
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Israeli troopers inside an evacuated compound of the UNRWA in Gaza Metropolis, amid ongoing combating between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. This picture was taken throughout a managed tour by the Israeli military on Feb. 8 and subsequently edited underneath the supervision of the Israeli navy.
Jack Guez/AFP through Getty Photos
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![](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/02/10/gettyimages-1993653244-3a370e1cf2720fccd7cdbbb96f654ae47798c9d4-s1200.jpg)
Israeli troopers inside an evacuated compound of the UNRWA in Gaza Metropolis, amid ongoing combating between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. This picture was taken throughout a managed tour by the Israeli military on Feb. 8 and subsequently edited underneath the supervision of the Israeli navy.
Jack Guez/AFP through Getty Photos
Kelemen: And also you should be listening to plenty of concern on the U.N. about that, proper?
Thomas-Greenfield: I’m listening to these issues each single day. And what we have now tried to do is hold our colleagues briefed on what is occurring on the bottom in order that we do not take actions within the Safety Council that may jeopardize the very delicate negotiations which can be going down that we hope will lead to an intensive pause within the combating, result in the hostages returning to their households, and permit for humanitarian help to get in to Palestinians who’re in determined want.
Kelemen: On the U.N. company that aids Palestinians, UNRWA, is the U.S. glad with the steps UNRWA is taking to analyze allegations that a few of its staffers truly took half within the Hamas assault on Oct. 7? And can the U.S. guarantee that UNRWA does not run out of cash?
Thomas-Greenfield: Look, the U.S. has all the time been a powerful supporter of humanitarian applications which can be facilitated by UNRWA. And we have now, over the course of this previous few weeks, been terribly saddened and disenchanted that people who work for UNRWA participated within the heinous assault on the seventh of October. So for that cause, we paused our help.
However we’re persevering with to work with the U.N. of their effort to analyze. I do know that the U.N. workplace of investigations are engaged in an investigation proper now of those that have been concerned within the assault. And the secretary-general simply introduced a fee of three Nordic NGOs who shall be working with former [French] Overseas Minister [Catherine] Colonna on addressing among the reforms and the neutrality of UNRWA transferring ahead.
And so we’ll proceed to help these efforts, we’ll proceed to search for paths to supply wanted humanitarian help to the Palestinian individuals.
UNRWA is the one worldwide group with the capability, with the infrastructure to supply that help. So whether or not it is via funding from the U.S. or funding from others, we’ll work to make sure that help continues to movement in to the individuals of Gaza.
Kelemen: Others, although, have sort of adopted your lead in pausing assist, so I’m wondering should you’re sending any message.
Thomas-Greenfield: I hold listening to that others adopted our lead, however others noticed the scenario on the bottom that we noticed on the bottom and made their very own unbiased choices about what they wished to do. However we all know that numerous nations and organizations haven’t lower off funding but, and we obligated a big quantity of funding to UNRWA already for his or her 2024 program. So we will wait to see what the assessments present after which we’ll decide on tips on how to transfer ahead.
However let me be clear. We are going to discover a approach to make sure that we proceed to supply humanitarian help to the Palestinian individuals.
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