Ahead of today’s press conference, UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer sent UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini a final request to meet over the new trove of evidence in our possession proving complicity of UNRWA officials with Hamas terrorists.
Today’s appeal follows numerous requests to meet which were ignored. By contrast, UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini meets regularly with the leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups.
If UN Watch does not hear back from UNRWA by Wednesday, we will begin to release the evidence to the world.
Ahead of today's press conference, I sent @UNLazzarini our final request to meet over the new trove of evidence in our possession proving complicity of UNRWA officials with Hamas terrorists. If we do not hear back by Wednesday, we will begin to release the evidence to the world. https://t.co/u76zW1SGUW pic.twitter.com/e17imLMKnS
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 18, 2024
Letter from Hillel Neuer to Philippe Lazzarini:
18 November 2024
Dear Commissioner-General Lazzarini,
I am urgently requesting to meet in order to show you a trove of evidence in our possession proving complicity of UNRWA officials and staff—up to the highest levels—with Hamas terrorists. The material is alarming and requires your urgent attention.
Your agency has claimed that we do not provide you with our evidence in advance. For example, in a briefing in Amman on 18 March 2023, in response to one of our reports documenting UNRWA staff encouraging violence and terrorism, your Deputy Commissioner told donor states that UN Watch reports “have never been submitted to UNRWA for comments prior to publishing, in the way that any credible research organization would invariably require.” UNRWA provided this same talking point to Socialist MP Sarah Dobbe, which she conveyed in the Dutch Parliament on 21 June 2024.
Commissioner-General, we have tried to meet with you at the UN in Geneva on 25 June 2024, yet you refused to meet. I went to Lausanne to meet with you on 1 August 2024, yet the police instructed me that you were refusing to receive our dossier, and that I was not allowed even to approach you. I went to the UN in New York last week during your press conference on Wednesday, yet again you refused to meet with me. I have also publicly appealed to you numerous times in the past month—including on 3 November, 7 November, 13 November, and 15 November—yet you have refused to respond. Many of your senior colleagues follow my X.com account, including your EU-based lobbyist Marc Lassouaoui, Adnan Abu Hasna, and Sahar Al-Jobury.
Please note that this is our final request. If we do not hear from you before your appearance at the Geneva Press Club this Wednesday, 20 November, we will begin to release the evidence to the world. You will be estopped from claiming that we do not show you the evidence in advance.
Sincerely,
Hillel C. Neuer
Executive Director
.@UNLazzarini Can we meet? I have a major dossier of new evidence showing your UNRWA staff complicity with terrorism. You told donor states we are not credible as we don't show you the evidence in advance: https://t.co/huhgSEye8y
So will you meet me before we publish the exposé? pic.twitter.com/4plX7BHJXs
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 15, 2024
On June 25, we attempted to hand-deliver our evidence on Fathi al-Sharif to @UNLazzarini during the UNRWA Advisory Commission meeting in Geneva.
Lazzarini refused to accept it so we sent the material to the press, demanding that al-Sharif be fired:https://t.co/NW80DOECkb pic.twitter.com/EB9iFnIRhh
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) September 30, 2024
Can we meet, @UNLazzarini? We have uncovered new and compelling evidence concerning UNRWA staff support for and complicity with terrorism. I can meet you during your upcoming visit to Switzerland, or anywhere else.
CC: @UKUN_NewYork @GermanyUN @franceonu @NorwayUN @melaniejoly
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 3, 2024
.@UNLazzarini Pouvons-nous nous rencontrer, M. Lazzarini ? Nous avons découvert de nouvelles preuves convaincantes concernant la complicité du personnel de l’UNRWA avec le terrorisme. J'habite à Genève et je peux vous rencontrer lors de votre prochaine visite le 20 Novembre. pic.twitter.com/HhfEMgniIh
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 7, 2024
.@UNLazzarini I am here a few blocks away from you in New York. I have a major new dossier of evidence showing complicity of your staff with terrorism. Can we meet?
cc: @USAmbUN @UKUN_NewYork @franceonu @GermanyUN @melaniejoly @ItalyUN_NY @BelgiumUN @IrishMissionUN @NorwayUN https://t.co/g1pHCePapp
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 13, 2024
On August 1, we again attempted to hand @UNLazzarini our evidence on Fathi al-Sharif in Lausanne, Switzerland, where Lazzarini was invited to speak for Swiss National Day.
He refused to meet. pic.twitter.com/jb3Ood4r2V
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) September 30, 2024
