9 jan 2014
Palestinian human rights institutions in the Netherlands have called for mass participation in a vigil in solidarity with Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria which has been under siege for over a year and where 33 Palestinian refugees have starved to death. Amin Abu Rashid, executive coordinator for al-Wafa European campaign, said that the vigil is scheduled to be organized Saturday at Dam Square in Amsterdam.
Abu Rashid told Quds Press that the vigil came in light of the very difficult humanitarian situation suffered by Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk camp in Damascus, stressing the importance of offering relief and aid supplies to the besieged camp.
The humanitarian situation in Yarmouk refugee camp is getting worse where dozens are dying of hunger amid Arab and international silence, he said, pointing out that al-Wafa European campaign will continue to provide Palestinian refugees in Syria with basic human needs and supplies.
Abu Rashid told Quds Press that the vigil came in light of the very difficult humanitarian situation suffered by Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk camp in Damascus, stressing the importance of offering relief and aid supplies to the besieged camp.
The humanitarian situation in Yarmouk refugee camp is getting worse where dozens are dying of hunger amid Arab and international silence, he said, pointing out that al-Wafa European campaign will continue to provide Palestinian refugees in Syria with basic human needs and supplies.
8 jan 2014
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Palestinian refugees in Syria’s Yarmouk refugee camp remain caught in the crossfire as foreign-backed militants refuse to withdraw, Press TV reports.
On Wednesday, hundreds of people marched at the entrance of the camp in the Syrian capital Damascus to reach out to their sick and the elderly relatives. The demonstrators called for the evacuation of over 300 sick people trapped inside Yarmouk. “My children and family are all inside the camp. There is no food or clean water. Why are those militants attacking us? We want them out of our camp. Let them return to where they came from… We want them to stop using our children as human shields,” said one of the demonstrators. Several Palestinian factions have been calling for a safe passage for the sick and the elderly. “I’m waiting for my son. His stomach almost stopped functioning because of starvation. He is very sick and there is no one inside to help him. I come here every day and wait,” said another Palestinian demonstrator. Aid workers were ordered to retreat as militant groups opened fire at them while trying to help the sick out, causing the initiative to fail. “The initiative was about evacuating the severely injured and six civilians from the camp. At the position where the civilians were supposed to exit they were shot at by armed terrorists. They shot the supervisor of the initiative in his chest. It seems the armed men want to continue using the civilians as human shields,” said Maher Sheikha, a physician at the Lebanon-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) Many refugees have escaped from Yarmouk after they were attacked by militants who have been fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Dozens of sick people, however, remain trapped inside, according to the doctors in charge of following up the initiative. Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants operating inside the country. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the turmoil that has gripped Syria for over two years. |
Prime Minister of Jordan Abdullah Ensour
No framework agreement, laid down principles for solving Palestinian refugees issue, shall be signed with out the Hashemite Kingdom seal of approval, Prime Minister of Jordan Abdullah Ensour said. " Every Palestinian refugee has been in Jordan since 1946 and 1949 has the right of return and compensation ," Ensour announced the official position of Jordan. He explained that it does not include Palestinians who have Jordanian citizenship .
He explained in a meeting with the Speaker of House of Representatives AtefTarawneh, Minister of Interior Hussein al-Majali, Minister of Political Development , KhaledAlclaldh, and members of al-Watan parliament block that US secretary of State John Kerry carries out a serious round of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East .
Ensour stressed that the US is committed to discuss the core principles -borders , security, refugees, Jerusalem- in the final status agreement..
He pointed out that King Abdullah II informed the US administration that Jordan must be involved in any agreement since it is bound to be the one paying the price of the Israeli and American positions.
No framework agreement, laid down principles for solving Palestinian refugees issue, shall be signed with out the Hashemite Kingdom seal of approval, Prime Minister of Jordan Abdullah Ensour said. " Every Palestinian refugee has been in Jordan since 1946 and 1949 has the right of return and compensation ," Ensour announced the official position of Jordan. He explained that it does not include Palestinians who have Jordanian citizenship .
He explained in a meeting with the Speaker of House of Representatives AtefTarawneh, Minister of Interior Hussein al-Majali, Minister of Political Development , KhaledAlclaldh, and members of al-Watan parliament block that US secretary of State John Kerry carries out a serious round of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East .
Ensour stressed that the US is committed to discuss the core principles -borders , security, refugees, Jerusalem- in the final status agreement..
He pointed out that King Abdullah II informed the US administration that Jordan must be involved in any agreement since it is bound to be the one paying the price of the Israeli and American positions.
Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Wednesday met with an official for the UN agency for Palestine refugees to discuss an ongoing general strike by the agency's Palestinian employees, officials said.
In his Ramallah office, Hamdallah spoke with UNRWA Commissioner General Filippo Grandi about the urgency to reopen UNRWA schools, which have been closed for 36 days due to a teacher strike.
The "crisis" in UNRWA schools threatens the future of 300,000 students, Hamdallah said.
Grandi said UNRWA is committed to supporting the education sector in Palestine, and is working hard to end the teacher strike.
The two also spoke of the Palestinian Authority's role in ending the strike and reopening schools.
UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness told Ma'an that Grandi "briefed the Prime Minister on the devastating impact that the unions' actions have had" on Palestinian refugees.
Hamdallah "was entirely in agreement" that the unions' actions were devastating, Gunness said.
"Over 51,000 students are at risk of losing the school year," he said. "That's a very serious threat if you are a parent or a student."
Teachers for UNRWA schools across Palestine have been on strike for over a month, demanding an increase in salaries.
He said an across-the-board pay increase is not feasible given that UNRWA workers' salaries are already "20 percent above" salaries for equivalent positions in the West Bank, according to UNRWA's payment policy.
"If we abandon our pay policy, our donors will get very upset," Gunness said.
However, he said that UNRWA had agreed to "find a solution to (the) problem" of 55 employees who were laid off in late 2013, 27 of whom began hunger strikes over a week ago.
The meeting between Hamallah and Grandi comes of after more than a week of protests against UNRWA across the West Bank and Gaza.
Children from Bethlehem's al-Azza refugee camp late Tuesday set fire to a line of burning tires, closing the main road into the central West Bank city, in protest of the continued closure of schools. Demonstrators called on UNRWA to hold negotiations with the teachers and reopen the schools.
Meanwhile, at least 27 former UNRWA employees continued their hunger strikes in protest of UNRWA's dismissal of 55 employees in late 2013.
Gunness told Ma'an on Thursday that the employees who were on hunger strike were temporary employees whose contracts were not renewed. The funding that provided those employees with salaries had been cut from $40 million to $25 million, he said.
UNRWA is the UN agency originally set up in 1949 to ensure relief and development for the Palestinian refugees expelled from what became the State of Israel in 1948.
Today, the agency provides health care, education, social services, and other forms of aid to nearly 5 million Palestinian refugees.
In his Ramallah office, Hamdallah spoke with UNRWA Commissioner General Filippo Grandi about the urgency to reopen UNRWA schools, which have been closed for 36 days due to a teacher strike.
The "crisis" in UNRWA schools threatens the future of 300,000 students, Hamdallah said.
Grandi said UNRWA is committed to supporting the education sector in Palestine, and is working hard to end the teacher strike.
The two also spoke of the Palestinian Authority's role in ending the strike and reopening schools.
UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness told Ma'an that Grandi "briefed the Prime Minister on the devastating impact that the unions' actions have had" on Palestinian refugees.
Hamdallah "was entirely in agreement" that the unions' actions were devastating, Gunness said.
"Over 51,000 students are at risk of losing the school year," he said. "That's a very serious threat if you are a parent or a student."
Teachers for UNRWA schools across Palestine have been on strike for over a month, demanding an increase in salaries.
He said an across-the-board pay increase is not feasible given that UNRWA workers' salaries are already "20 percent above" salaries for equivalent positions in the West Bank, according to UNRWA's payment policy.
"If we abandon our pay policy, our donors will get very upset," Gunness said.
However, he said that UNRWA had agreed to "find a solution to (the) problem" of 55 employees who were laid off in late 2013, 27 of whom began hunger strikes over a week ago.
The meeting between Hamallah and Grandi comes of after more than a week of protests against UNRWA across the West Bank and Gaza.
Children from Bethlehem's al-Azza refugee camp late Tuesday set fire to a line of burning tires, closing the main road into the central West Bank city, in protest of the continued closure of schools. Demonstrators called on UNRWA to hold negotiations with the teachers and reopen the schools.
Meanwhile, at least 27 former UNRWA employees continued their hunger strikes in protest of UNRWA's dismissal of 55 employees in late 2013.
Gunness told Ma'an on Thursday that the employees who were on hunger strike were temporary employees whose contracts were not renewed. The funding that provided those employees with salaries had been cut from $40 million to $25 million, he said.
UNRWA is the UN agency originally set up in 1949 to ensure relief and development for the Palestinian refugees expelled from what became the State of Israel in 1948.
Today, the agency provides health care, education, social services, and other forms of aid to nearly 5 million Palestinian refugees.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) refused to increase the salaries of its employees in Gaza Strip, claiming that it is facing a budget deficit due to the donor countries' rejection to deliver financial assistance. Gazan employees of UNRWA on Sunday staged a one-day general strike to protest the agency's dismissal of workers and its refusal to increase salaries.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, UNRWA expressed its regret for its inability to increase its employees' salaries saying that the agency's staff are paid over twenty per cent above the equivalent salaries in the Palestinian Authority.
For his part, Adnan Abu Hasna, spokesman for UNRWA in Gaza, stated that the current living condition in Gaza cannot bear strike due to the continued siege.
UNRWA deficit this year stands at $65 million, he pointed out.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, UNRWA expressed its regret for its inability to increase its employees' salaries saying that the agency's staff are paid over twenty per cent above the equivalent salaries in the Palestinian Authority.
For his part, Adnan Abu Hasna, spokesman for UNRWA in Gaza, stated that the current living condition in Gaza cannot bear strike due to the continued siege.
UNRWA deficit this year stands at $65 million, he pointed out.
The Palestinian community in Britain has announced an initiative aiming to send aid to the Palestinian refugees in the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, reports Middle East Monitor.
Yarmouk refugee camp has been besieged since semptember 2013. No aidworkers have been able to enter the camp since then and the 20 000 palestinian refugees in the camp are in desperate need of humanitarian aid.
The initiative was disclosed during a meeting of the Palestinian Forum. The initiative is the first of its kind and aims to enhance cooperation within the palestinian community.
One of the attenders of the forum, Deputy Secretary of Fatah's Revolutionary Council Dr Sabri Saidam, said in his speech that "the political situation affecting the region as a whole compels us as Palestinians to work hard to unite the various political movements, and to go beyond courtesies into actual programmes to save the Palestinian cause."
Yarmouk refugee camp has been besieged since semptember 2013. No aidworkers have been able to enter the camp since then and the 20 000 palestinian refugees in the camp are in desperate need of humanitarian aid.
The initiative was disclosed during a meeting of the Palestinian Forum. The initiative is the first of its kind and aims to enhance cooperation within the palestinian community.
One of the attenders of the forum, Deputy Secretary of Fatah's Revolutionary Council Dr Sabri Saidam, said in his speech that "the political situation affecting the region as a whole compels us as Palestinians to work hard to unite the various political movements, and to go beyond courtesies into actual programmes to save the Palestinian cause."
7 jan 2014
Four militant factions remain in Yarmouk in violation of an agreement to secure peace for the beleaguered Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, a PLO official said Tuesday.
PLO executive committee member Ahmad Majdalani told Ma'an that four factions remain in the Yarmouk camp in Damascus, despite the fact that nine factions -- including the four -- previously signed an agreement promising to withdraw.
The factions are Jebhat al-Nusra, Daish, Ibn Taymiyya, and a fourth unnamed faction, he said, referring primarily to a number of Wahhabi militant groups opposed to the Syrian regime.
The withdrawal of the factions is meant to allow the camp to become a neutral zone and to pressure the Syrian regime to end the 7-month-long siege of the camp, which has led to at least 30 deaths from starvation.
Al-Majdalani added that militants refuse to leave the camp because of their "political agendas," in an attempt to scuttle any possible agreement and thus to keep the camp in their hands.
Al-Majdalani announced that a delegation including himself, the head of the PLO refugees' department Zakaria Agha, and Jordanian PLO member Bilal Qassim, will head to Syria in an official visit on Tuesday.
They will meet political and security officials, Palestinian officials and Palestinian faction leaders as part of the visit.
"The delegation will try to pressure (officials) into opening safe passages for the entrance of medical and food supplies to the camp's population of around 20,000 Palestinian refugees," he said.
Al-Majdalani explained that the Palestinian Authority sent aid to the camp but it had not been allowed to enter because of the continued presence of militants in the camp.
He added that militants are determined to keep the camp because of its strategic position, as it is considered a gateway into Damascus.
UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness told Ma'an Tuesday that the UN agency has "long supported strenuous international calls for a ceasefire and for the siege of Yarmouk to be lifted in accordance with international law and for the parties to the conflict to abide by international law obligations to respect civilian life. We again urge that these calls are heeded."
"In addition to the lifting of the siege, we require immediate and sustained humanitarian access so that we can bring succor to the needy and the malnourished; and thereafter we need to resume our humanitarian program fully. We are particularly concerned about the plight of some 20,000 people who remain in the camp, among them women and children. Given reports of starvation breaking out in the camp, time is running out."
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault.
Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
In recent weeks, reports of death due to starvation have numbered in the dozens.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 120,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
PLO executive committee member Ahmad Majdalani told Ma'an that four factions remain in the Yarmouk camp in Damascus, despite the fact that nine factions -- including the four -- previously signed an agreement promising to withdraw.
The factions are Jebhat al-Nusra, Daish, Ibn Taymiyya, and a fourth unnamed faction, he said, referring primarily to a number of Wahhabi militant groups opposed to the Syrian regime.
The withdrawal of the factions is meant to allow the camp to become a neutral zone and to pressure the Syrian regime to end the 7-month-long siege of the camp, which has led to at least 30 deaths from starvation.
Al-Majdalani added that militants refuse to leave the camp because of their "political agendas," in an attempt to scuttle any possible agreement and thus to keep the camp in their hands.
Al-Majdalani announced that a delegation including himself, the head of the PLO refugees' department Zakaria Agha, and Jordanian PLO member Bilal Qassim, will head to Syria in an official visit on Tuesday.
They will meet political and security officials, Palestinian officials and Palestinian faction leaders as part of the visit.
"The delegation will try to pressure (officials) into opening safe passages for the entrance of medical and food supplies to the camp's population of around 20,000 Palestinian refugees," he said.
Al-Majdalani explained that the Palestinian Authority sent aid to the camp but it had not been allowed to enter because of the continued presence of militants in the camp.
He added that militants are determined to keep the camp because of its strategic position, as it is considered a gateway into Damascus.
UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness told Ma'an Tuesday that the UN agency has "long supported strenuous international calls for a ceasefire and for the siege of Yarmouk to be lifted in accordance with international law and for the parties to the conflict to abide by international law obligations to respect civilian life. We again urge that these calls are heeded."
"In addition to the lifting of the siege, we require immediate and sustained humanitarian access so that we can bring succor to the needy and the malnourished; and thereafter we need to resume our humanitarian program fully. We are particularly concerned about the plight of some 20,000 people who remain in the camp, among them women and children. Given reports of starvation breaking out in the camp, time is running out."
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault.
Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
In recent weeks, reports of death due to starvation have numbered in the dozens.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 120,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
Arafat said it was "urgent" that competing militias and factions ended the crisis in the camp.
Earlier, a PLO official said that four militant factions remain in Yarmouk camp in violation of an agreement to secure peace for its residents.
PLO executive committee member Ahmad Majdalani told Ma'an that four factions remain in the Yarmouk camp in Damascus, despite the fact that nine factions -- including the four -- previously signed an agreement promising to withdraw.
The factions are Jebhat al-Nusra, Daish, Ibn Taymiyya, and a fourth unnamed faction, he said, referring primarily to a number of Wahhabi militant groups opposed to the Syrian regime.
The withdrawal of the factions is meant to allow the camp to become a neutral zone and to pressure the Syrian regime to end the 7-month-long siege of the camp, which has led to at least 30 deaths from starvation.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 120,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
Earlier, a PLO official said that four militant factions remain in Yarmouk camp in violation of an agreement to secure peace for its residents.
PLO executive committee member Ahmad Majdalani told Ma'an that four factions remain in the Yarmouk camp in Damascus, despite the fact that nine factions -- including the four -- previously signed an agreement promising to withdraw.
The factions are Jebhat al-Nusra, Daish, Ibn Taymiyya, and a fourth unnamed faction, he said, referring primarily to a number of Wahhabi militant groups opposed to the Syrian regime.
The withdrawal of the factions is meant to allow the camp to become a neutral zone and to pressure the Syrian regime to end the 7-month-long siege of the camp, which has led to at least 30 deaths from starvation.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 120,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
The Health Work Committees on Tuesday condemned the position of UNRWA amid protests and hunger strikes against the UN agency's hiring practices in recent days.
The Health Work committees said in a statement that UNRWA's lack of response to the initiatives of the government, the refugees' affairs department, and the popular committees to find a resolution to the crisis, reflect "the dangerous intentions and political nature of the association," which will lead to more reductions in education, health and social services.
The committees said they hold the UNRWA responsible for any harm that might befall employees in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as for the health hazards that camps face after workers went on strike and services were halted in a response to lay-offs.
The committees called on Palestinians and local community institutions to support the demands of UNRWA employees and to join them in the protest tents to make their voices heard.
The statements come after two days of protests and nearly a week of hunger strikes by 27 former employees in protest against hiring policies.
The hunger strikes -- carried out by various residents of Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus -- were in protest of UNRWA's layoff of 55 employees in late 2013.
A strike was also observed by local employees in Gaza.
UNRWA is the UN agency originally set up in 1949 to ensure relief and development for the Palestinian refugees expelled from what became the State of Israel in 1948.
Today, the agency provides health care, education, social services, and other forms of aid to nearly 5 million Palestinian refugees.
The Health Work committees said in a statement that UNRWA's lack of response to the initiatives of the government, the refugees' affairs department, and the popular committees to find a resolution to the crisis, reflect "the dangerous intentions and political nature of the association," which will lead to more reductions in education, health and social services.
The committees said they hold the UNRWA responsible for any harm that might befall employees in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as for the health hazards that camps face after workers went on strike and services were halted in a response to lay-offs.
The committees called on Palestinians and local community institutions to support the demands of UNRWA employees and to join them in the protest tents to make their voices heard.
The statements come after two days of protests and nearly a week of hunger strikes by 27 former employees in protest against hiring policies.
The hunger strikes -- carried out by various residents of Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus -- were in protest of UNRWA's layoff of 55 employees in late 2013.
A strike was also observed by local employees in Gaza.
UNRWA is the UN agency originally set up in 1949 to ensure relief and development for the Palestinian refugees expelled from what became the State of Israel in 1948.
Today, the agency provides health care, education, social services, and other forms of aid to nearly 5 million Palestinian refugees.
6 jan 2014
Strikers claim best interest of refugees
51,000 children have been out of school for over a month, over 40 health clinics have been closed and garbage is piling up around the camps, due to the recent UN-employee strike. Yet, there are no signs of a solution to the dispute, reports the Palestinian News Network PNN.
"Where are the rights of the refugees?”, asks Khalil Bal’awi, resident of Al Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem.
"Our children are now on the streets. There is no medicine and trash is blocking the streets of the refugee camps. UNRWA doesn’t care about us or about the employees. It’s not enough that we are under siege and apartheid wall, and that we have been deported from our lands."
5,000 employees at the UN refugee agency, UNRWA, in the West Bank, have been on strike since December 3rd of last year, demanding higher salaries and permanent contracts instead of short term contracts. Yesterday, UNRWA employees in Gaza also went on strike, in demmand of higher salaries.
UNRWA spokesperson Christopher Gunness states that UNRWA is paying, on average, 20 percent above the comparable salaries at the Palestinian Authority which, he says, is totally within the agency's salary policy.
"It is such an unjustified strike. I think that punishing refugees, who are already punished by the occupation in the West Bank and the blackade in Gaza is completely unjustifiable", says Gunness.
Despite the fact that the refugees are suffering from the strike, the strikers claim that in the end the refugees will benefit from it.
"The refugees need the strike. We are fighting for their needs also", according to one of the strikers. "We want UNRWA to increase the servies in the camps to the same level as it was a few years ago."
"I have not heard that argument before, and I don’t understand it", said Gunness. "Why are they stopping 51 000 children being educated if they are worried about services being withheld from the refugees? That is totally illogical.”
He added that increasing the services to refugees has never been an official demand from the strikers.
51,000 children have been out of school for over a month, over 40 health clinics have been closed and garbage is piling up around the camps, due to the recent UN-employee strike. Yet, there are no signs of a solution to the dispute, reports the Palestinian News Network PNN.
"Where are the rights of the refugees?”, asks Khalil Bal’awi, resident of Al Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem.
"Our children are now on the streets. There is no medicine and trash is blocking the streets of the refugee camps. UNRWA doesn’t care about us or about the employees. It’s not enough that we are under siege and apartheid wall, and that we have been deported from our lands."
5,000 employees at the UN refugee agency, UNRWA, in the West Bank, have been on strike since December 3rd of last year, demanding higher salaries and permanent contracts instead of short term contracts. Yesterday, UNRWA employees in Gaza also went on strike, in demmand of higher salaries.
UNRWA spokesperson Christopher Gunness states that UNRWA is paying, on average, 20 percent above the comparable salaries at the Palestinian Authority which, he says, is totally within the agency's salary policy.
"It is such an unjustified strike. I think that punishing refugees, who are already punished by the occupation in the West Bank and the blackade in Gaza is completely unjustifiable", says Gunness.
Despite the fact that the refugees are suffering from the strike, the strikers claim that in the end the refugees will benefit from it.
"The refugees need the strike. We are fighting for their needs also", according to one of the strikers. "We want UNRWA to increase the servies in the camps to the same level as it was a few years ago."
"I have not heard that argument before, and I don’t understand it", said Gunness. "Why are they stopping 51 000 children being educated if they are worried about services being withheld from the refugees? That is totally illogical.”
He added that increasing the services to refugees has never been an official demand from the strikers.
223 Palestinian refugees were killed in Syria by Syrian regime army snipers since the beginning of Syria turmoil , Palestinian Action group for Palestinians of Syria reported. The group mentioned in a statement that the last victim was a Palestinian girl child called Falstine Omer from Yarmouk camp.
The lives of thousands of Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk camp in Damascus are at risk due to the ongoing siege on the camp by Syrian regime forces.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault. Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
The lives of thousands of Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk camp in Damascus are at risk due to the ongoing siege on the camp by Syrian regime forces.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault. Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
5 jan 2014
The demands of the UNRWA workers are represented in increasing salaries in light of the rising cost of living and rehire the 94 employees the agency had recently dismissed.
The Palestinian campaign against media incitement (No to Incitement) in Lebanon strongly denounced the Lebanese satellite channel Al-Jadeed for its persistence in fabricating lies against the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and attempting to implicate them in the Lebanese events.
This came in response to Al-Jadeed channel's claims that the Saudi leader of Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Majed Al-Majed, who died on Saturday in the military hospital in Lebanon, told interrogators before his death that the car that had exploded outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut last November had come from the Palestinian refugee camp Ein Al-Hilweh.
The Palestinian campaign affirmed that what was reported by Al-Jadeed channel reflected its moral and professional decline, and hostile tendencies towards the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
"We, the campaign of 'No to Incitement,' consider what has been said by Al-Jadeed channel today a deliberate incitement against the Palestinians and a direct affront to all refugee camps," the campaign underlined.
This came in response to Al-Jadeed channel's claims that the Saudi leader of Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Majed Al-Majed, who died on Saturday in the military hospital in Lebanon, told interrogators before his death that the car that had exploded outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut last November had come from the Palestinian refugee camp Ein Al-Hilweh.
The Palestinian campaign affirmed that what was reported by Al-Jadeed channel reflected its moral and professional decline, and hostile tendencies towards the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
"We, the campaign of 'No to Incitement,' consider what has been said by Al-Jadeed channel today a deliberate incitement against the Palestinians and a direct affront to all refugee camps," the campaign underlined.
The Jordanian society for the return of refugees (Aidoun) expressed its great concern over media leaks talking about understandings between the Palestinian Authority, Israel and the US regarding the future of the Palestinian refugees, warning of tampering with the Palestinian right of return. "The society follows with deep concern what has been reported by some media outlets about transitional agreements and framework understandings on the future of the Palestinian refugees as the most important part of the cause," the Jordanian society said in a press release on Saturday.
"The media leaks about the possibility of reaching a transitional framework agreement giving a priority for recognizing the Zionist entity as a Jewish state, and talks about retaining major settlement blocs, swapping lands and staying conditionally in the Jordan Valley, with reference to the possibility of resolving the issue of refugees in their whereabouts in the future despite the great suffering they are enduring in several places… all this raises reasonable fears and concerns among the masses of refugees who make up more than two thirds of the Palestinian people at home and abroad, and gives cause for caution," the society emphasized.
The Jordanian society highlighted that the right of return is inalienable and cannot be waived by anyone regardless of his position because it is a collective right.
"The media leaks about the possibility of reaching a transitional framework agreement giving a priority for recognizing the Zionist entity as a Jewish state, and talks about retaining major settlement blocs, swapping lands and staying conditionally in the Jordan Valley, with reference to the possibility of resolving the issue of refugees in their whereabouts in the future despite the great suffering they are enduring in several places… all this raises reasonable fears and concerns among the masses of refugees who make up more than two thirds of the Palestinian people at home and abroad, and gives cause for caution," the society emphasized.
The Jordanian society highlighted that the right of return is inalienable and cannot be waived by anyone regardless of his position because it is a collective right.
4 jan 2014
“We, like all Gaza people ,say to our families in Syria that we are with you, and stand for you, hold tight your hands in solidarity, and won’t relent in our support with all what we have in hand.”
“Syria’s Palestinians need not only denouncing positions but alive consciences to move for them”, he said.
He called on Palestinian youth to join in the initiative, in preparation for a number of field activities to be carried out in the coming few days, aimed at fund-raising for the besieged Palestinians in Syria.
In a statement to an Al Ray reporter, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, who attended the sit-in, stressed the need to disengage the Palestinian refugees from the war in Syria: "They are just guests, not part of the conflict there."
According to wiki, 235,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Syria itself and 60,000, alongside 2.2 million Syrians, have fled the country as of October, 2013, as a result of the Syrian civil war.
“Syria’s Palestinians need not only denouncing positions but alive consciences to move for them”, he said.
He called on Palestinian youth to join in the initiative, in preparation for a number of field activities to be carried out in the coming few days, aimed at fund-raising for the besieged Palestinians in Syria.
In a statement to an Al Ray reporter, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, who attended the sit-in, stressed the need to disengage the Palestinian refugees from the war in Syria: "They are just guests, not part of the conflict there."
According to wiki, 235,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Syria itself and 60,000, alongside 2.2 million Syrians, have fled the country as of October, 2013, as a result of the Syrian civil war.
Mounds of garbage line Shoafat refugee camp, north of Jerusalem
A month-long strike by UNRWA employees has resulted in pileups of garbage and clogged sewers in the Shoafat refugee camp in Jerusalem and left some 51,000 Palestinian children out of school, Israeli media said.
Haaretz.com reported that the work stoppage by UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, has also closed down dozens of health clinics in the occupied West Bank.
According to long-held understandings between UNRWA and the municipality, the UN agency collects the trash in the camp and provides some of the education and health care services for the camp residents.
The Israeli daily quoted a resident of Shoafat refugee camp as saying “Our children have been in the streets for a month, the elderly cannot go to the doctor, there is garbage everywhere, the sewers are clogged, and no one is fixing anything,” says H., a camp resident. "We’ve got big problems, but no one cares."
A labor dispute arose between UNRWA and its employees when they demanded higher wages, claiming they receive less than Palestinian Authority workers. UNRWA officials counter that the employees earn 20 percent more than PA workers, according to Haaretz.
UNRWA spokesman Chris Guinnes said that “Shoafat illustrates horrifically the impact of the strike on this forgotten refugee population, living in a state of limbo in a kind of no man’s land. Camp residents pay tax to the Israeli authorities but receive few services and there’s no refuse collection. Compounding the nightmare, the [separation] wall means the PA don’t have access so the refugees are reliant on UNRWA. It’s unsustainable to have people living in these conditions and highlights yet again the need to resolve the refugee issue.”
The Jerusalem municipality responded to inquiries by stating “as per UN policy on refugee camps, UNRWA is the organization that provides sanitation services in these locations."
A month-long strike by UNRWA employees has resulted in pileups of garbage and clogged sewers in the Shoafat refugee camp in Jerusalem and left some 51,000 Palestinian children out of school, Israeli media said.
Haaretz.com reported that the work stoppage by UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, has also closed down dozens of health clinics in the occupied West Bank.
According to long-held understandings between UNRWA and the municipality, the UN agency collects the trash in the camp and provides some of the education and health care services for the camp residents.
The Israeli daily quoted a resident of Shoafat refugee camp as saying “Our children have been in the streets for a month, the elderly cannot go to the doctor, there is garbage everywhere, the sewers are clogged, and no one is fixing anything,” says H., a camp resident. "We’ve got big problems, but no one cares."
A labor dispute arose between UNRWA and its employees when they demanded higher wages, claiming they receive less than Palestinian Authority workers. UNRWA officials counter that the employees earn 20 percent more than PA workers, according to Haaretz.
UNRWA spokesman Chris Guinnes said that “Shoafat illustrates horrifically the impact of the strike on this forgotten refugee population, living in a state of limbo in a kind of no man’s land. Camp residents pay tax to the Israeli authorities but receive few services and there’s no refuse collection. Compounding the nightmare, the [separation] wall means the PA don’t have access so the refugees are reliant on UNRWA. It’s unsustainable to have people living in these conditions and highlights yet again the need to resolve the refugee issue.”
The Jerusalem municipality responded to inquiries by stating “as per UN policy on refugee camps, UNRWA is the organization that provides sanitation services in these locations."
3 jan 2014
The presidential office said in a statement that the Palestinian leadership is putting all its efforts to end the siege on the camp.
The statement added that a number of delegations have been sent to Syria in order to help end the siege and provide supplies with the help of international organizations.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault. Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 120,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
The statement added that a number of delegations have been sent to Syria in order to help end the siege and provide supplies with the help of international organizations.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault. Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 120,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
2 jan 2014
Three employees of the UN agency for Palestine refugees were taken to the hospital for treatment after six days of hunger striking, an UNRWA employee told Ma'an.
Abdullah Matar, coordinator of the employment program in the UNRWA, said that Hassan al-Butma, Walid al-Hamouz, and Ahmad al-Wehedi have been taken to the hospital for treatment.
"Tonight we enter the seventh day of the strike, and we will continue the strike until the UNRWA responds to our demands and the demands of its Arab workers union," said Matar, who is on hunger strike himself.
Matar said that the strikes were in protest of UNRWA's "shameful" layoffs of 55 employees in late 2013.
"For the 31st day in a row, Arab workers in the UNRWA continue their strike from work," he said. "It seems that the crisis is about to escalate because the UNRWA is not responding to our demands, nor to the proposals of the Palestinian Authority."
Matar said that there were 23 UNRWA employees on a hunger strike in Jerusalem, Hebron, Duheisha refugee camp in Bethlehem, and Nablus.
Earlier, Arab workers union spokesman Farid al-Masimi gave Ma'an a slightly conflicting report, saying that the 23 employees had only been on hunger strike since Tuesday.
UNRWA spokespeople did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
UNRWA is the UN agency originally set up in 1949 to ensure for relief and development for the Palestinian refugees expelled from what became the State of Israel in 1948.
Today, the agency provides health care, education, social services, and other forms of aid to nearly 5 million Palestinian refugees.
Abdullah Matar, coordinator of the employment program in the UNRWA, said that Hassan al-Butma, Walid al-Hamouz, and Ahmad al-Wehedi have been taken to the hospital for treatment.
"Tonight we enter the seventh day of the strike, and we will continue the strike until the UNRWA responds to our demands and the demands of its Arab workers union," said Matar, who is on hunger strike himself.
Matar said that the strikes were in protest of UNRWA's "shameful" layoffs of 55 employees in late 2013.
"For the 31st day in a row, Arab workers in the UNRWA continue their strike from work," he said. "It seems that the crisis is about to escalate because the UNRWA is not responding to our demands, nor to the proposals of the Palestinian Authority."
Matar said that there were 23 UNRWA employees on a hunger strike in Jerusalem, Hebron, Duheisha refugee camp in Bethlehem, and Nablus.
Earlier, Arab workers union spokesman Farid al-Masimi gave Ma'an a slightly conflicting report, saying that the 23 employees had only been on hunger strike since Tuesday.
UNRWA spokespeople did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
UNRWA is the UN agency originally set up in 1949 to ensure for relief and development for the Palestinian refugees expelled from what became the State of Israel in 1948.
Today, the agency provides health care, education, social services, and other forms of aid to nearly 5 million Palestinian refugees.
1 jan 2014
According to the PNN, most of Yarmouk camp, in southern Damascus, is under the control of the armed opposition, and it has been under siege by Assad loyalists for about a year.
The blockade has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, and the exodus of tens of thousands of the camp’s 170,000 residents.
Furthermore, on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights NGO reported that five people in the camp had died of malnutrition, including an elderly man, a disabled man and one woman.
UNRWA chief Filippo Grandi warned, earlier this month, "If this situation is not addressed urgently, it may be too late to save the lives of thousands of people including children.”
Syria is now officially home to nearly 500,000 Palestinian refugees, about half of whom have been displaced by the conflict which broke out in March of 2011, becoming refugees for the second time.
More than 126,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict.
The blockade has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, and the exodus of tens of thousands of the camp’s 170,000 residents.
Furthermore, on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights NGO reported that five people in the camp had died of malnutrition, including an elderly man, a disabled man and one woman.
UNRWA chief Filippo Grandi warned, earlier this month, "If this situation is not addressed urgently, it may be too late to save the lives of thousands of people including children.”
Syria is now officially home to nearly 500,000 Palestinian refugees, about half of whom have been displaced by the conflict which broke out in March of 2011, becoming refugees for the second time.
More than 126,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict.
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