29 jan 2014
Rahf Gabali twenty-five days and Leila Khaled Da'do four months
The action group for Palestinians in Syria said that 85 Palestinians died of starvation in the Yarmouk refugee camp, south of Damascus, until Wednesday. The group, which monitors and documents daily field events of Palestinian refugees in Syria, said that 39 of those died over the past two weeks.
It pointed out that Yarmouk refugee camp has been under siege for 200 days because of the ongoing battles between the Syrian regular army and opposition forces.
The siege has led to famine in the camp after foodstuffs and medicines ran out of stock, the group said, adding that children and elderly people are the most affected of this siege.
The group said that the number of Palestinian victims in the Syrian armed conflict that started almost there years ago had exceeded two thousands.
The action group for Palestinians in Syria said that 85 Palestinians died of starvation in the Yarmouk refugee camp, south of Damascus, until Wednesday. The group, which monitors and documents daily field events of Palestinian refugees in Syria, said that 39 of those died over the past two weeks.
It pointed out that Yarmouk refugee camp has been under siege for 200 days because of the ongoing battles between the Syrian regular army and opposition forces.
The siege has led to famine in the camp after foodstuffs and medicines ran out of stock, the group said, adding that children and elderly people are the most affected of this siege.
The group said that the number of Palestinian victims in the Syrian armed conflict that started almost there years ago had exceeded two thousands.
Palestinian refugees caught up in Syria fighting in the camp of Yarmouk in Damascus, eat stray animals to survive.
"Many here have slaughtered and eaten cats and dogs, and even a donkey. One man who killed a dog couldn't find any meat to eat on its body, because even the dogs are starving," AFP quoted a Yarmouk resident as saying on Wednesday.
"What was unimaginable a few months ago is normal now," the resident said, adding, "I was looking at a cat on the street, and thinking of slaughtering it."
Syria hosts half a million Palestinian refugees, most of them living in Yarmouk. The camp turned into a flashpoint area in Damascus when unrest broke out in the country in 2011.
"Many here have slaughtered and eaten cats and dogs, and even a donkey. One man who killed a dog couldn't find any meat to eat on its body, because even the dogs are starving," AFP quoted a Yarmouk resident as saying on Wednesday.
"What was unimaginable a few months ago is normal now," the resident said, adding, "I was looking at a cat on the street, and thinking of slaughtering it."
Syria hosts half a million Palestinian refugees, most of them living in Yarmouk. The camp turned into a flashpoint area in Damascus when unrest broke out in the country in 2011.
More than 160,000 refugees lived in the camp until December 2012. But many refugees have escaped from Yarmouk due to attacks by foreign-backed militants who have been fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Large numbers of armed groups, affiliated to al-Qaeda, are reportedly fortified in the camp.
On January 14, the Palestinian Authority (PA) said militants fighting against the Syrian government are blocking aid access to the Yarmouk refugee camp in southern Damascus.
Many people have reportedly died in Yarmouk over the past few months because of food and medical shortages in the camp.
Large numbers of armed groups, affiliated to al-Qaeda, are reportedly fortified in the camp.
On January 14, the Palestinian Authority (PA) said militants fighting against the Syrian government are blocking aid access to the Yarmouk refugee camp in southern Damascus.
Many people have reportedly died in Yarmouk over the past few months because of food and medical shortages in the camp.
Kerry's plan does not include any right of return for Palestinian refugees into their occupied lands, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote on Tuesday about a new peace plan of Secretary of State John Kerry that is likely to be publicized soon. In the column entitled "Why Kerry is Scary", Friedman speculated that Kerry's plan will "call for an end to the conflict and all claims, following a phased Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank based on the 1967 lines, with unprecedented security arrangements in the strategic Jordan Valley.
The Israeli withdrawal will not include certain settlement blocs, but Israel will compensate the Palestinians for them with occupied (Israeli) territories. It will call for the Palestinians to have a capital in East Jerusalem.
Kerry's plan will call for Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state as well as have Israel recognize Arab East Jerusalem as the rightful capital of the Palestinian people.
It will not include any right of return for Palestinian refugees into Israel proper ( occupied Palestine).
Friedman explained that Kerry expects and hopes that both Netanyahu and Abbas will declare that despite their reservations about one or another element in the U.S. framework, they will use it as the basis of further negotiations.
The Israeli withdrawal will not include certain settlement blocs, but Israel will compensate the Palestinians for them with occupied (Israeli) territories. It will call for the Palestinians to have a capital in East Jerusalem.
Kerry's plan will call for Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state as well as have Israel recognize Arab East Jerusalem as the rightful capital of the Palestinian people.
It will not include any right of return for Palestinian refugees into Israel proper ( occupied Palestine).
Friedman explained that Kerry expects and hopes that both Netanyahu and Abbas will declare that despite their reservations about one or another element in the U.S. framework, they will use it as the basis of further negotiations.
Six Palestinians were killed, four of them starved to death, in Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp due to the imposed siege that brought the total number of deaths to 83 martyrs of hunger, according to reports. The sprawling Yarmouk camp, in the southern suburbs of the city of Damascus, is home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and displaced Syrians who have been trapped under a year-long blockade.
Dozens of children, elderly people and others displaced by the Syrian conflict have starved to death in a besieged camp.
According to the Working Group for the Palestinians in Syria, “four Palestinians in the besieged camp died due to dehydration, lack of food and medical care in the camp.”
The group reported the names of the martyrs: Fadi Shihada, infants Rahaf Jabali,25 days, Issam Qadura and Laila Da’du, 4 months each.
It pointed out that Husam al-Naddaf, who was arrested two months ago, died under the Syrian regime’s offensive and torture, while Alaa Jum’a died as a result of a sniper shot.
The Assad regime arrested Mahmoud Qasem, Wasim Abu al-Qasem, Ali al-Khatib, Fadi Shriteh from Yarmouk and Khan Danoun camps, the group indicated.
Palestinian refugees issue is the biggest challenge: Burns
" Developing a just and agreed solution to the Palestinian refugees issue is one of the biggest challenges in making progress not just towards a framework agreement, but also towards a final status agreement, " US deputy Secretary of state William Burns said. " It’s not an easy challenge, but it is one which will be crucial to producing that kind of permanent status solution," he said.
He said in an interview with Petra news agency on Tuesday that the US president Barak Obama and the Secretary of State John Kerry are strongly committed to achieve a final status agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.
"United States cannot make choice for Palestinians and Israelis , but we will do everything we can to make progress," he added.
He appreciated Jordan’s constructive role, in support of a two-state solution, explaining that US administration clearly understand Jordan’s profound stake in this process, and Jordan’s profound stake in progress toward a two-state solution, as well as the importance of addressing Jordan’s interests along the way.
Dozens of children, elderly people and others displaced by the Syrian conflict have starved to death in a besieged camp.
According to the Working Group for the Palestinians in Syria, “four Palestinians in the besieged camp died due to dehydration, lack of food and medical care in the camp.”
The group reported the names of the martyrs: Fadi Shihada, infants Rahaf Jabali,25 days, Issam Qadura and Laila Da’du, 4 months each.
It pointed out that Husam al-Naddaf, who was arrested two months ago, died under the Syrian regime’s offensive and torture, while Alaa Jum’a died as a result of a sniper shot.
The Assad regime arrested Mahmoud Qasem, Wasim Abu al-Qasem, Ali al-Khatib, Fadi Shriteh from Yarmouk and Khan Danoun camps, the group indicated.
Palestinian refugees issue is the biggest challenge: Burns
" Developing a just and agreed solution to the Palestinian refugees issue is one of the biggest challenges in making progress not just towards a framework agreement, but also towards a final status agreement, " US deputy Secretary of state William Burns said. " It’s not an easy challenge, but it is one which will be crucial to producing that kind of permanent status solution," he said.
He said in an interview with Petra news agency on Tuesday that the US president Barak Obama and the Secretary of State John Kerry are strongly committed to achieve a final status agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.
"United States cannot make choice for Palestinians and Israelis , but we will do everything we can to make progress," he added.
He appreciated Jordan’s constructive role, in support of a two-state solution, explaining that US administration clearly understand Jordan’s profound stake in this process, and Jordan’s profound stake in progress toward a two-state solution, as well as the importance of addressing Jordan’s interests along the way.
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A man holds the corpse of one-year old baby wrapped in shrouds, who reportedly died of hunger, during a funeral ceremony at the besieged Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in southern Damascus, on January 27, 2014
Besieged since June, nearly 20,000 people in Damascus' Yarmouk Palestinian camp are so desperate for food that many eat stray animals to survive, and some women have resorted to prostitution. "I was looking at a cat on the street, and thinking of slaughtering it," said Yarmouk resident Ali, who was a university student when Syria's revolt erupted in 2011. "Many here have slaughtered and eaten cats and dogs, and even a donkey. One man who killed a dog couldn't find any meat to eat on its body, because even the dogs are starving," he told AFP via the Internet. "What was unimaginable a few months ago is normal now." Once a refugee camp, Yarmouk evolved generations ago into a bustling commercial and residential district, where both Syrians and Palestinians resided. In 2011, it was home to some 150,000 Palestinians registered in Syria after being forcibly displaced following Israel's establishment. When war spread to areas of Damascus in the summer of 2012, thousands of people from other parts of the capital fled to Yarmouk, swelling its population further. But Yarmouk soon became a war zone too, as Syrians taking up arms against President Bashar Assad's regime moved into the camp. Some Palestinians joined the rebels, others backed pro-regime groups, mainly the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC). In June, the army imposed a total blockade on Yarmouk, which covers an area of just over two square kilometers. Most residents had fled by then, but, according to the United Nations, 18,000 civilians remain. |
Seven months later, food and medical supplies have all but run out, with prices skyrocketing to up to $100 for a kilogram of rice, residents say.
"The situation is so desperate that women are selling their bodies to men who stocked up food before the siege was imposed, for just a cup of rice or bulgur," said Ali.
"Imagine the feeling of a father unable to feed his children, as they wail from hunger," he added.
Seventy-eight people, including 25 women and three children, have died as a result of the shortages, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Tasked with meeting the Palestinian refugees' needs, the UN Relief and Works Agency has struggled to secure access to the camp.
Only two convoys have made it into Yarmouk in recent months, bringing in a scant 138 parcels of food aid.
According to UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness, "the aid allowed in... so far is shockingly inadequate to meet the dire needs of these (18,000) civilians."
The needs include "powder milk for babies, polio vaccines for infants and basic foodstuffs," said Gunness.
On January 18, the government said it would facilitate aid access.
"However, the agency is extremely disappointed that... the assurances given by the authorities have not been backed by action on the ground to facilitate the regular, rapid entry into Yarmouk of the substantial quantities of relief required to make a difference to thousands of civilians," Gunness told AFP.
While regime and opposition representatives are meeting in Geneva for peace talks and to negotiate aid access for Homs in central Syria, it appears Yarmouk's fate is not being addressed.
PFLP-GC spokesman Anwar Raja blamed the rebels, whom he described as "terrorists," for the camp's plight.
"There was an agreement for the Palestinian armed men inside the camp to pressure non-Palestinian armed men to leave," Raja said, referring to rebels.
"We hope the people will push on the Palestinian armed groups that had pledged to pressure the other armed groups, including Al-Nusra (Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate)... to create a better atmosphere to ensure aid gets in."
For his part, Wissam Sbaaneh, a member of the Palestinian Jafra Foundation, blamed the PFLP-GC and the army.
"People are asking for milk powder for children and vaccines. What on earth would the fighters want milk powder for?" said Sbaaneh, mocking a PFLP-GC claim that the civilians are being held "hostage" by the armed opposition.
Sbaaneh also said other armed groups, barring the jihadists, have honored the agreement with the regime, and that "civilians are ready to pressure Al-Nusra if the regime proves it is being serious".
Indeed on Monday, the Observatory reported a demonstration in the camp against Al-Nusra Front.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman insisted the siege must be lifted altogether.
"Civilians are being starved in order to force them to turn against the rebels. It is a war crime to besiege areas where civilians are present," Abdel Rahman told AFP.
"The situation is so desperate that women are selling their bodies to men who stocked up food before the siege was imposed, for just a cup of rice or bulgur," said Ali.
"Imagine the feeling of a father unable to feed his children, as they wail from hunger," he added.
Seventy-eight people, including 25 women and three children, have died as a result of the shortages, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Tasked with meeting the Palestinian refugees' needs, the UN Relief and Works Agency has struggled to secure access to the camp.
Only two convoys have made it into Yarmouk in recent months, bringing in a scant 138 parcels of food aid.
According to UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness, "the aid allowed in... so far is shockingly inadequate to meet the dire needs of these (18,000) civilians."
The needs include "powder milk for babies, polio vaccines for infants and basic foodstuffs," said Gunness.
On January 18, the government said it would facilitate aid access.
"However, the agency is extremely disappointed that... the assurances given by the authorities have not been backed by action on the ground to facilitate the regular, rapid entry into Yarmouk of the substantial quantities of relief required to make a difference to thousands of civilians," Gunness told AFP.
While regime and opposition representatives are meeting in Geneva for peace talks and to negotiate aid access for Homs in central Syria, it appears Yarmouk's fate is not being addressed.
PFLP-GC spokesman Anwar Raja blamed the rebels, whom he described as "terrorists," for the camp's plight.
"There was an agreement for the Palestinian armed men inside the camp to pressure non-Palestinian armed men to leave," Raja said, referring to rebels.
"We hope the people will push on the Palestinian armed groups that had pledged to pressure the other armed groups, including Al-Nusra (Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate)... to create a better atmosphere to ensure aid gets in."
For his part, Wissam Sbaaneh, a member of the Palestinian Jafra Foundation, blamed the PFLP-GC and the army.
"People are asking for milk powder for children and vaccines. What on earth would the fighters want milk powder for?" said Sbaaneh, mocking a PFLP-GC claim that the civilians are being held "hostage" by the armed opposition.
Sbaaneh also said other armed groups, barring the jihadists, have honored the agreement with the regime, and that "civilians are ready to pressure Al-Nusra if the regime proves it is being serious".
Indeed on Monday, the Observatory reported a demonstration in the camp against Al-Nusra Front.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman insisted the siege must be lifted altogether.
"Civilians are being starved in order to force them to turn against the rebels. It is a war crime to besiege areas where civilians are present," Abdel Rahman told AFP.
28 jan 2014
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Seven Palestinian refugees who died in the past few days in the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus were identified Tuesday by a Palestinian group based in Syria.
The Workforce for Palestinians in Syria identified seven victims in a statement received by Ma'an on Tuesday, adding to dozens who have already died as a result of deteriorating conditions and widespread hunger in the camp. The victims were identified as Saadah Hasan Khattab, Saliha Mahmoud Ineisi, Muhammad Diab Muhammad, Muhammad Ibrahim al-Bitar, Ahmad Abboud al-Mousa, Muhammad Said Jarbou and Samir Hasan Taha. The victims died of hunger and lack of medical care in Yarmouk camp, which has been under a crippling siege for months, the statement confirmed. The statement also mentioned the high numbers of Palestinians currently being held in detention, adding that the group's statistics show that 391 Palestinian refugees have been detained in Syria, of whom 355 are detained by the Syrian regime, and 36 by the opposition forces. Detainees include journalists, and humanitarian activists. Renowned Palestinian doctor Hayil Hmeid has been in custody since Aug. 11, 2012. Syrian regime security forces detained Dr. Hmeid from his private clinic. According to the statement, 137 Palestinian refugees have died of torture in custody since the beginning of the unrest in Syria. The latest victim was 70-year-old Osama Omar Abu Hashim, an engineer and renowned human rights activist in Aleppo. 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. At least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Syria conflict, and |
around 250,000 Palestinian refugees have been forced to leave their homes in Syria due to violence in the country.
Prior to the conflict, 600,000 Palestinian refugees lived in Syria.
Between 7-800,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes inside Israel during the 1948 conflict that led to the creation of the State of Israel, and today their descendants number around five million, spread across the world.
Action group: 391 Palestinian refugees are detained in Syria
The action group for the Palestinians in Syria called on the parties to the Syrian conflict meeting in Geneva not to ignore the issue of the Palestinian refugees detained by the regime and opposition forces in Syria. According to statistics collected by the action group, there are a total of 391 Palestinian prisoners in Syria, 355 of them are detained by the Syrian regime and the other 36 detainees are held by the opposition forces.
It affirmed that most of the Palestinian detainees in Syria are young men, noting that among those detainees are Palestinian journalists and relief activists.
The group also said that it had documented the death of 137 Palestinians under torture in Syria, the vast majority of them were killed inside jails belonging to the Syrian regime.
Prior to the conflict, 600,000 Palestinian refugees lived in Syria.
Between 7-800,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes inside Israel during the 1948 conflict that led to the creation of the State of Israel, and today their descendants number around five million, spread across the world.
Action group: 391 Palestinian refugees are detained in Syria
The action group for the Palestinians in Syria called on the parties to the Syrian conflict meeting in Geneva not to ignore the issue of the Palestinian refugees detained by the regime and opposition forces in Syria. According to statistics collected by the action group, there are a total of 391 Palestinian prisoners in Syria, 355 of them are detained by the Syrian regime and the other 36 detainees are held by the opposition forces.
It affirmed that most of the Palestinian detainees in Syria are young men, noting that among those detainees are Palestinian journalists and relief activists.
The group also said that it had documented the death of 137 Palestinians under torture in Syria, the vast majority of them were killed inside jails belonging to the Syrian regime.
The pro-regime Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command group denied reports Monday that it accepted an initiative from Hamas to end the siege at Yarmouk refugee camp.
But the PFLP-GC welcomed Hamas’ recent statement in which the movement tried to convince militia groups to sign an initiative of 14 Palestinian factions and withdraw from the camp.
There were no other initiatives, the statement said.
Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Ali Baraka said earlier on Monday that parties agreed to Hamas’ initiative which aims to end the siege on the camp, the PFLP-GC said.
Baraka also said that 80 percent of the militias in the camp agreed to Hamas’s initiative, a claim which was categorically denied by the PFLP-GC.
Yarmouk in southern Damascus has been under a choking army siege since June, along with several other opposition-held areas across Syria, mostly around the capital and in the central city of Homs.
Food aid entered Yarmouk earlier this month for the first time in four months.
UN rights chief Navi Pillay has warned blocking assistance to civilians "in desperate need may amount to a war crime."
Activists in other besieged areas have also complained of dismal conditions.
But the PFLP-GC welcomed Hamas’ recent statement in which the movement tried to convince militia groups to sign an initiative of 14 Palestinian factions and withdraw from the camp.
There were no other initiatives, the statement said.
Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Ali Baraka said earlier on Monday that parties agreed to Hamas’ initiative which aims to end the siege on the camp, the PFLP-GC said.
Baraka also said that 80 percent of the militias in the camp agreed to Hamas’s initiative, a claim which was categorically denied by the PFLP-GC.
Yarmouk in southern Damascus has been under a choking army siege since June, along with several other opposition-held areas across Syria, mostly around the capital and in the central city of Homs.
Food aid entered Yarmouk earlier this month for the first time in four months.
UN rights chief Navi Pillay has warned blocking assistance to civilians "in desperate need may amount to a war crime."
Activists in other besieged areas have also complained of dismal conditions.
27 jan 2014
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9 Palestinians were killed, seven of them starved to death, on Sunday in Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp as a result of the continued siege imposed by the Syrian regime forces on the starving Palestinian camp for more than 195 days, that brought the total number of deaths to 73 martyrs of hunger.
The sprawling Yarmouk camp, in the southern suburbs of the city, is home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and displaced Syrians who have been trapped under a year-long blockade. Dozens of children, elderly people and others displaced by the Syrian conflict have starved to death in a besieged camp in Damascus. according to credible reports. According to the Working Group for the Palestinians in Syria.”The starvation of seven Palestinian refugees from Yarmouk camp due to dehydration, lack of food and medical care among the refugees. The group explained that the martyrs are : Mahmoud Abdullah , Said Idris, Amira Mohammed, Najmah Qwader , Riifah Qraich, Rahmah Alian and baby Abdul Jalil Khamis. It pointed out that the old Abu Marwan died as a result of a sniper shot while searching for food in the orchards of al- Hajar al-Aswad area , while the body of Faiz Thiyabi was found near the Yarmouk University in Dar’a International Highway. 73 Palestinian refugees starved to death in Yarmouk refugee camp |
The action group for Palestinians in Syria has said that 73 Palestinian refugees had died of hunger in the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp. The group said in a statement on Monday that the number was registered until Sunday 26/1/2014, adding that 27 of those died over the past 12 days.
The group, which monitors and documents the daily field events of Palestinian refugees in Syria, said that the Yarmouk refugee camp has been under siege for 197 days due to the ongoing armed confrontations between Syrian regular army and opposition forces.
It said that the siege had caused starvation among the remaining camp inhabitants that mainly affected children and elderly people, noting that the camp had run out of foodstuffs, medicines, and baby milk.
The group also pointed out that more than two thousand Palestinian refugee had been killed in that war-torn Arab country since the conflict started three years ago.
The group said that seven refugees died on Sunday as a result of the continued siege on Yarmouk camp including a child and five old people while one was killed at the hands of a sniper while looking for something to eat.
Humanitarian Crisis of Yarmouk Refugee Camp
On Tuesday, 28 January 2014, at 7:00 PM, AICafe invites you for Yarmouk Refugee Camp: Humanitarian Crisis with Husam Arafat.
The Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus has been witness to a dramatic humanitarian crisis this past month, due to the siege imposed from the inside by opposition forces and from the outside by the Syrian army. Yarmouk, home to some 250,000 Palestinian refugees three years ago and now to just 18,000, has been a primary topic in the current Geneva II conference on Syria.
Come learn about what is happening in Yarmouk, as well as the broader impact of the conflict in Syria on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Palestinian refugees.
Husam Arafat is a Palestinian lawyer and long-time political activist.
The AIC is a joint Palestinian-Israeli activist organization engaged in dissemination of information, political advocacy and grassroots activism. The AICafè is a political and cultural café open on Tuesday and Saturday night from 7pm until 10pm. It is located in the Alternative Information Center in Beit Sahour, close to Suq Sha'ab (follow the sign to Jadal Center ). We have a small library with novels, political books and magazines. We also have a number of films in DVD copies and AIC publications which critically analyze both the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the conflict itself.
The group, which monitors and documents the daily field events of Palestinian refugees in Syria, said that the Yarmouk refugee camp has been under siege for 197 days due to the ongoing armed confrontations between Syrian regular army and opposition forces.
It said that the siege had caused starvation among the remaining camp inhabitants that mainly affected children and elderly people, noting that the camp had run out of foodstuffs, medicines, and baby milk.
The group also pointed out that more than two thousand Palestinian refugee had been killed in that war-torn Arab country since the conflict started three years ago.
The group said that seven refugees died on Sunday as a result of the continued siege on Yarmouk camp including a child and five old people while one was killed at the hands of a sniper while looking for something to eat.
Humanitarian Crisis of Yarmouk Refugee Camp
On Tuesday, 28 January 2014, at 7:00 PM, AICafe invites you for Yarmouk Refugee Camp: Humanitarian Crisis with Husam Arafat.
The Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus has been witness to a dramatic humanitarian crisis this past month, due to the siege imposed from the inside by opposition forces and from the outside by the Syrian army. Yarmouk, home to some 250,000 Palestinian refugees three years ago and now to just 18,000, has been a primary topic in the current Geneva II conference on Syria.
Come learn about what is happening in Yarmouk, as well as the broader impact of the conflict in Syria on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Palestinian refugees.
Husam Arafat is a Palestinian lawyer and long-time political activist.
The AIC is a joint Palestinian-Israeli activist organization engaged in dissemination of information, political advocacy and grassroots activism. The AICafè is a political and cultural café open on Tuesday and Saturday night from 7pm until 10pm. It is located in the Alternative Information Center in Beit Sahour, close to Suq Sha'ab (follow the sign to Jadal Center ). We have a small library with novels, political books and magazines. We also have a number of films in DVD copies and AIC publications which critically analyze both the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the conflict itself.
Two UNRWA employees on a hunger strike were taken to the hospital on Monday, the 56th day of the refuge agency employees strike.
Mohammad al-Atawna, director of media at the Palestinian Workers' Union, said hunger strikers Talal Imrezeq, 35, from Hebron and Naser Bazoor, 47, from Nablus were taken to hospitals after their health deteriorated.
They are among 28 UNRWA employees on a hunger strike throughout the West Bank for the last 30 days.
Hunger strikers Abdullah Mahmoud Matar, 35, and Hassan Mohammad al-Butma, 47, were taken to al-Ahli hospital in Hebron after fainting, and only agreed to take intravenous supplements (water, salt, and minerals).
They later returned to a protest tent and continued the strike.
A demonstration was held on Monday in support of the UNRWA employees in Dar al-Mualemeen field in Ramallah.
Thousands participated in the demonstration including dozens of representatives of factions, national and civil institutes, al-Atawna said.
Labor Minister Ahmad Majdalani said that the government and the PLO executive committee launched an initiative days ago with UNRWA chief Filippo Grandi’s letter as the basis of talks.
Head of the UNRWA employees union Shaker al-Rashq said during the demonstration in Ramallah that the strike will end after their demands are met, and he held UNRWA responsible for the lives of hunger strikers.
Mohammad al-Atawna, director of media at the Palestinian Workers' Union, said hunger strikers Talal Imrezeq, 35, from Hebron and Naser Bazoor, 47, from Nablus were taken to hospitals after their health deteriorated.
They are among 28 UNRWA employees on a hunger strike throughout the West Bank for the last 30 days.
Hunger strikers Abdullah Mahmoud Matar, 35, and Hassan Mohammad al-Butma, 47, were taken to al-Ahli hospital in Hebron after fainting, and only agreed to take intravenous supplements (water, salt, and minerals).
They later returned to a protest tent and continued the strike.
A demonstration was held on Monday in support of the UNRWA employees in Dar al-Mualemeen field in Ramallah.
Thousands participated in the demonstration including dozens of representatives of factions, national and civil institutes, al-Atawna said.
Labor Minister Ahmad Majdalani said that the government and the PLO executive committee launched an initiative days ago with UNRWA chief Filippo Grandi’s letter as the basis of talks.
Head of the UNRWA employees union Shaker al-Rashq said during the demonstration in Ramallah that the strike will end after their demands are met, and he held UNRWA responsible for the lives of hunger strikers.
26 jan 2014
Hundreds of Palestinian refugees rallied on Sunday in the central and southern Gaza Strip protesting reductions in services by UNRWA in Palestinian refugee camps across the coastal enclave.
Witnesses told Ma'an that protestors closed the offices of the UN's Palestine refugee agency in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip during the protest.
Demonstrators waved black flags and signs denouncing service reductions and calling upon director of UNRWA operations Robert Turner to leave the Gaza Strip.
An official from the popular committee of al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip Suleiman Saymah said during the protest that the agency continued to reduce services to Palestinian refugees despite the dire economic conditions and high rates of unemployment in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Saymah highlighted that UNRWA had promised to "reconsider 54,000 cases that receive social welfare assistance."
About 26,000 cases are expected to receive assistance through the same programs they used to benefit from, while the rest will be moved to other programs.
Hundreds of refugees also rallied in Rafah camp in the southern Gaza Strip urging the UNRWA to resume providing services which have been reduced.
The protests in the Gaza Strip come amid weeks of controversy for the agency, as protests across the Palestinian territories have targeted UNRWA after layoffs and service reductions.
Palestinian UNRWA employees have been on strike for nearly two months in protest of low salaries and UNRWA policies regarding employees who have been previously detained by the Israeli military.
On Thursday, UNRWA's administration and unions met in an effort to end the strike, which has kept schools closed and severely limited provisions of basic services to Palestinian refugee camps.
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.
Witnesses told Ma'an that protestors closed the offices of the UN's Palestine refugee agency in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip during the protest.
Demonstrators waved black flags and signs denouncing service reductions and calling upon director of UNRWA operations Robert Turner to leave the Gaza Strip.
An official from the popular committee of al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip Suleiman Saymah said during the protest that the agency continued to reduce services to Palestinian refugees despite the dire economic conditions and high rates of unemployment in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Saymah highlighted that UNRWA had promised to "reconsider 54,000 cases that receive social welfare assistance."
About 26,000 cases are expected to receive assistance through the same programs they used to benefit from, while the rest will be moved to other programs.
Hundreds of refugees also rallied in Rafah camp in the southern Gaza Strip urging the UNRWA to resume providing services which have been reduced.
The protests in the Gaza Strip come amid weeks of controversy for the agency, as protests across the Palestinian territories have targeted UNRWA after layoffs and service reductions.
Palestinian UNRWA employees have been on strike for nearly two months in protest of low salaries and UNRWA policies regarding employees who have been previously detained by the Israeli military.
On Thursday, UNRWA's administration and unions met in an effort to end the strike, which has kept schools closed and severely limited provisions of basic services to Palestinian refugee camps.
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.
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Moses Mari died of starvation
Three more Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk camp died of starvation on Saturday due to the ongoing imposed siege on the camp by Syrian regime forces for the 196 days in a raw. Action Group for Palestinians of Syria reported that Haniyeh Abu al-Ruz , Moses Mari and Omar Abu Siam died of illnesses exacerbated by hunger , noting that the number of people died of hunger in Yarmouk camp is up to 66. It also reported that Syrian aircrafts pummeled Dera'a camp causing several injuries . It explained that those who are still in the camp are suffering from a severe shortage of food, medicine and heating materials. Video Video |
