Walla News has declined to publish an article submitted by Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The 655-word piece, intended to address Israeli citizens in Hebrew, was rejected due to its controversial content and omissions.
Editor Ariel Schmidberg explained the decision, citing the article's one-sided nature and failure to address crucial issues. Lazzarini's article failed to condemn the October 7 Hamas attack, detailed UNRWA casualties without acknowledging alleged staff involvement in the attack, and criticized IDF operations while ignoring Hamas's use of UNRWA facilities.
"We won't provide a platform for a hypocritical article that overlooks these critical facts," Schmidberg stated. He pointed out that the piece made no mention of weapons found in UNRWA facilities, remained silent on UNRWA resources allegedly used by Hamas, and omitted any reference to Israeli hostages potentially held in UNRWA-linked locations.
The rejection comes as IDF forces continue operations in Gaza, including areas near UNRWA facilities. Recent discoveries have included Hamas infrastructure in UNRWA-affiliated locations.
Lazzarini's article called for an end to Israeli attacks on UNRWA facilities and questioned the lack of international outrage. However, Walla deemed these statements inadequate given the complex situation on the ground.