Commissioner-general says Israeli authorities has undertaken a defamation marketing campaign towards 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-Basic Philippe Lazzarini mentioned in a publish on X that Israel’s makes an attempt to defame the company each hurt its popularity 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 firms, together with social media platforms, to fight disinformation and hate speech.
The unfold of misinformation & disinformation continues for use as a weapon within the conflict 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 conflict in Gaza,” he wrote.
Israel has campaigned for years towards UNRWA, the primary organisation delivering humanitarian help 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 purpose at Lazzarini in a videotaped speech, claiming the company had been deeply infiltrated by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The UN mentioned the feedback have been “reprehensible” and warned that they jeopardise Lazzarini’s security.
Earlier this yr, Israel alleged that a number of the company’s employees participated within the Hamas-led October 7 assaults on Israel, main greater than a dozen international donors to suspend support.
A UN-authorised impartial evaluation discovered that Israel had not offered 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 no less than 70 p.c of its colleges, in accordance with the organisation.
At the least 40,691 folks have been killed and 94,060 wounded in Israel’s conflict on Gaza, in accordance with in accordance with the Gaza Well being Ministry. At the least 1,139 folks have been killed within the Hamas-led assaults on Israel, in accordance with an Al Jazeera tally based mostly on official Israeli statistics.
