29 july 2019
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced a US$ 50 million contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), thus reiterating its commitment to support the vital and life-saving services provided by the Agency to over five million Palestine refugees in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank.
The UAE is a valued and reliable partner to the Agency, and one of a select few donors whose regular support over several decades has greatly contributed to the Agency’s ability to carry out its mandate.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl commended the outstanding show of support from the UAE and said: “At a time of intense pressure on our Agency, the immense generosity of the United Arab Emirates sends a clear message that Palestine refugees are not alone. In addition to a crucial financial contribution, it is also a show of solidarity by the UAE for which I am deeply grateful.”
This extraordinary financial support will go a long way in helping UNRWA maintain its programmes for 2019 as planned, namely in the areas of primary healthcare, education and social services, all vital for the life and dignity of Palestine refugees, and an anchor for their feeling of stability.
UNRWA remains grateful to the UAE for its renewed trust and support. In 2018, the UAE’s extraordinary contribution of US$ 50 million to the Agency enabled it to open the doors of its 708 schools for the 2018-2019 academic year, and made the UAE the sixth largest donor for that year.
UNRWA is mandated to provide life-saving services to some 5.4 million Palestinian refugees registered with the Agency across its five fields of operation in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Its services include education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.
UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall.
UNRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency’s programme budget. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals.
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.4 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.
The UAE is a valued and reliable partner to the Agency, and one of a select few donors whose regular support over several decades has greatly contributed to the Agency’s ability to carry out its mandate.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl commended the outstanding show of support from the UAE and said: “At a time of intense pressure on our Agency, the immense generosity of the United Arab Emirates sends a clear message that Palestine refugees are not alone. In addition to a crucial financial contribution, it is also a show of solidarity by the UAE for which I am deeply grateful.”
This extraordinary financial support will go a long way in helping UNRWA maintain its programmes for 2019 as planned, namely in the areas of primary healthcare, education and social services, all vital for the life and dignity of Palestine refugees, and an anchor for their feeling of stability.
UNRWA remains grateful to the UAE for its renewed trust and support. In 2018, the UAE’s extraordinary contribution of US$ 50 million to the Agency enabled it to open the doors of its 708 schools for the 2018-2019 academic year, and made the UAE the sixth largest donor for that year.
UNRWA is mandated to provide life-saving services to some 5.4 million Palestinian refugees registered with the Agency across its five fields of operation in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Its services include education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.
UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall.
UNRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency’s programme budget. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals.
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.4 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.
27 july 2019
Hezbollah secretary-general Hasan Nasrallah has called for necessarily dealing with the issue of the Palestinian refugees working in Lebanon from a moral and humanitarian perspectives and quietly.
In televised remarks on Friday, Nasrallah said that some people in Lebanon incite against Hezbollah and Hamas and accuse them of being behind Palestinian protests against recent work measures, describing such accusation as “shameful, immoral and an attempt to twist facts.”
“In our opinion, there is a difference between Palestinian workers and other foreigners because the country of the former is under occupation and they cannot return to it,” the Hezbollah leader stated.
“The Palestinian is a refugee and associated with a national cause backed unanimously by Lebanon and the Arab region,” he said.
He also underlined that there is no connection between the work of the Palestinians in Lebanon and resettlement, adding that he supports the launch of a Lebanese-Palestinian dialog, but he called for dealing with this file wisely.
In televised remarks on Friday, Nasrallah said that some people in Lebanon incite against Hezbollah and Hamas and accuse them of being behind Palestinian protests against recent work measures, describing such accusation as “shameful, immoral and an attempt to twist facts.”
“In our opinion, there is a difference between Palestinian workers and other foreigners because the country of the former is under occupation and they cannot return to it,” the Hezbollah leader stated.
“The Palestinian is a refugee and associated with a national cause backed unanimously by Lebanon and the Arab region,” he said.
He also underlined that there is no connection between the work of the Palestinians in Lebanon and resettlement, adding that he supports the launch of a Lebanese-Palestinian dialog, but he called for dealing with this file wisely.
22 july 2019
The Government of Austria signed today an agreement amounting to EUR 1.95 million with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in support of the Agency’s health program in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), according to a press release.
Guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on health and standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNRWA delivers basic health services from its 43 health centers across the West Bank, and is responsible for contributing to a healthy living environment for Palestine refugees, said the release.
UNRWA fielded some 8.5 million patient consultations across its five fields of operation during 2018, including some 1 million consultations in the West Bank. The Agency’s efforts to provide life-saving health care to Palestine refugees is part of the joint mission of the UN and host governments to address the disparities in social determinants of health and to achieve health equity.
The contribution from Austria will support the protection of Palestine refugees’ health and the reduction in disease burden. Funds will go towards ensuring adequate and timely availability of essential medicines and supplies, as well as educational materials in UNRWA health centers and clinics in the occupied Palestinian territory, said the UNRWA press release.
“We are grateful to the long-standing partnership with UNRWA which gives us the certainty that quality health services are provided to Palestinian refugees. In particular, we welcome the approach of the family health team as well as the urgently needed psychosocial support interventions for Palestinian refugees suffering from the current situation and status” said Astrid Wein, Austrian Representative in Ramallah.
“On behalf of the Agency, I thank and commend the Austrian government for nearly doubling its support to UNRWA health program thus responding to the Agency’s call for increased support for basic services it provides at a time of great needs for the Agency,” said Marc Lassouaoui, Chief of Donor Relations.
Austria is a long-standing supporter of UNRWA, and especially the Agency’s health program, having contributed a total of EUR 10 million to the health program in the oPt since 2011.
Guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on health and standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNRWA delivers basic health services from its 43 health centers across the West Bank, and is responsible for contributing to a healthy living environment for Palestine refugees, said the release.
UNRWA fielded some 8.5 million patient consultations across its five fields of operation during 2018, including some 1 million consultations in the West Bank. The Agency’s efforts to provide life-saving health care to Palestine refugees is part of the joint mission of the UN and host governments to address the disparities in social determinants of health and to achieve health equity.
The contribution from Austria will support the protection of Palestine refugees’ health and the reduction in disease burden. Funds will go towards ensuring adequate and timely availability of essential medicines and supplies, as well as educational materials in UNRWA health centers and clinics in the occupied Palestinian territory, said the UNRWA press release.
“We are grateful to the long-standing partnership with UNRWA which gives us the certainty that quality health services are provided to Palestinian refugees. In particular, we welcome the approach of the family health team as well as the urgently needed psychosocial support interventions for Palestinian refugees suffering from the current situation and status” said Astrid Wein, Austrian Representative in Ramallah.
“On behalf of the Agency, I thank and commend the Austrian government for nearly doubling its support to UNRWA health program thus responding to the Agency’s call for increased support for basic services it provides at a time of great needs for the Agency,” said Marc Lassouaoui, Chief of Donor Relations.
Austria is a long-standing supporter of UNRWA, and especially the Agency’s health program, having contributed a total of EUR 10 million to the health program in the oPt since 2011.
20 july 2019
The Hamas Movement has affirmed that the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have political status and that they are not expatriates or foreign workers.
This came during a meeting in Beirut on Friday between a delegation from Hamas led its political bureau member Ezzat al-Resheq and Lebanese premier Saad al-Hariri.
The Hamas delegation discussed the recent work measures taken by the Lebanese minister of labor against Palestinian workers and institutions.
According to Resheq, the delegation also discussed with Hariri the bilateral relations and the latest developments concerning the Palestinian situation in the refugee camps in Lebanon.
Resheq reiterated his Movement’s rejection of any plan to resettle the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and its keenness on the country’s stability and security.
The Hamas official said that Hariri expressed his understanding of the delegation’s demands and asserted that his government would address the issue regarding the work measures that affected the Palestinian refugees.
This came during a meeting in Beirut on Friday between a delegation from Hamas led its political bureau member Ezzat al-Resheq and Lebanese premier Saad al-Hariri.
The Hamas delegation discussed the recent work measures taken by the Lebanese minister of labor against Palestinian workers and institutions.
According to Resheq, the delegation also discussed with Hariri the bilateral relations and the latest developments concerning the Palestinian situation in the refugee camps in Lebanon.
Resheq reiterated his Movement’s rejection of any plan to resettle the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and its keenness on the country’s stability and security.
The Hamas official said that Hariri expressed his understanding of the delegation’s demands and asserted that his government would address the issue regarding the work measures that affected the Palestinian refugees.
18 july 2019
A man chants slogans while lifted on the shoulders of another wearing a Palestinian flag as a bandanna, as protesters block the main road outside the Palestinian refugee camp of Burj al-Barajneh, south of the Lebanese capital Beirut, on July 16, 2019
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says the Arab country will reverse recent measures against businesses hiring foreign workers without permits.
Speaking at a parliamentary session in Beirut on Thursday, Berri said Palestinian laborers will return to the situation before the crackdown, urging Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman to convene a press conference and officially announce the latest decision, Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network reported.
“No one has stood up to address Palestinians’ protests in refugee camps. The situation is nearing explosion and must be rectified. Otherwise, the situation will spiral out of control,” lawmaker Ammar al-Kalam said during the session.
“We want to treat Palestinians just like the Lebanese, and apply the law to them. We are in constant dialogue with the Palestinian ambassador (to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour) and Palestinian authorities,” Abousleiman earlier told reporters outside parliament.
He added, “The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC) is the body that requested in 2017 to give Palestinians work permits. We have to stop the road riots because they make no sense, especially as these measures help workers. Once they are registered, the labor law provides them with guarantees against arbitrary dismissal and minimum wage.”
Last month, the Lebanese Labor Ministry announced a one-month deadline for companies to acquire work permits for their foreign workers. The ministry began to close businesses that did not comply after the deadline expired last week.
Over the past few days, hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have staged protests in the capital Beirut and around their refugee camps.
Palestinian refugees expressed their anger on Tuesday at the decision, carrying out a general strike and protests across 12 camps.
The protests, under the slogan “Day of Anger,” paralyzed movement in the camps.
Protesters closed the entrances with burning tires. All Palestinian political forces and popular committees took part in the protests.
Palestinian refugees are not entitled to work in 72 professions in Lebanon, and are not permitted access to social security. One of the contradictions of the law is that Palestinians have the right to purchase a taxi, but are forbidden to work in it.
The Palestinian labor force is present in fragile sectors such as construction and small crafts.
Problems arise among Palestinians who graduate from Lebanese universities and cannot work in their specialties because of trade union limitations.
According to a study by the LPDC, there are 174,422 registered Palestinians in Lebanon.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says the Arab country will reverse recent measures against businesses hiring foreign workers without permits.
Speaking at a parliamentary session in Beirut on Thursday, Berri said Palestinian laborers will return to the situation before the crackdown, urging Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman to convene a press conference and officially announce the latest decision, Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network reported.
“No one has stood up to address Palestinians’ protests in refugee camps. The situation is nearing explosion and must be rectified. Otherwise, the situation will spiral out of control,” lawmaker Ammar al-Kalam said during the session.
“We want to treat Palestinians just like the Lebanese, and apply the law to them. We are in constant dialogue with the Palestinian ambassador (to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour) and Palestinian authorities,” Abousleiman earlier told reporters outside parliament.
He added, “The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC) is the body that requested in 2017 to give Palestinians work permits. We have to stop the road riots because they make no sense, especially as these measures help workers. Once they are registered, the labor law provides them with guarantees against arbitrary dismissal and minimum wage.”
Last month, the Lebanese Labor Ministry announced a one-month deadline for companies to acquire work permits for their foreign workers. The ministry began to close businesses that did not comply after the deadline expired last week.
Over the past few days, hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have staged protests in the capital Beirut and around their refugee camps.
Palestinian refugees expressed their anger on Tuesday at the decision, carrying out a general strike and protests across 12 camps.
The protests, under the slogan “Day of Anger,” paralyzed movement in the camps.
Protesters closed the entrances with burning tires. All Palestinian political forces and popular committees took part in the protests.
Palestinian refugees are not entitled to work in 72 professions in Lebanon, and are not permitted access to social security. One of the contradictions of the law is that Palestinians have the right to purchase a taxi, but are forbidden to work in it.
The Palestinian labor force is present in fragile sectors such as construction and small crafts.
Problems arise among Palestinians who graduate from Lebanese universities and cannot work in their specialties because of trade union limitations.
According to a study by the LPDC, there are 174,422 registered Palestinians in Lebanon.
17 july 2019
Palestinian refugees chant slogans as they block the main road outside the Palestinian refugee camp of Burj al-Barajneh, south of the Lebanese capital Beirut, on July 16, 2019, during a protest against a decision by the Lebanese government to impose restrictions on the Palestinians' work opportunities.
A top leader of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has condemned the Lebanese government's recent crackdown on businesses hiring foreign workers without permits, calling for the revocation of the measures in the Arab country.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas political bureau, in letters sent to Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri as well as Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, demanded the Lebanese Ministry of Labor overturn a rule that requires Palestinian workers to obtain a work permit in order to gain employment.
Haniyeh expressed hope that Lebanese officials would rescind the legal and financial measures taken against Palestinian expatriates living in the country.
“We, in Hamas, see such measures as inconsistent with Lebanon’s official, historic and principled position in support of the Palestinian people’s rights,” he said.
He stressed that such measures would not serve the fraternal relations between the Lebanese and Palestinian nations, and would only further complicate the lives of Palestinian refugees.
Haniyeh finally described Palestinian refugees in Lebanon as “guests adherent to their identity and the right to return,” hoping for quick actions aimed at cessation of restrictive measures against the Palestinians and enabling them to live with dignity.
Last month, the Lebanese Labor Ministry announced a one-month deadline for companies to acquire work permits for their foreign workers. The ministry began to close businesses that did not comply after the deadline expired last week.
Over the past few days, hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have staged protests in the capital Beirut and around their refugee camps.
Palestinian refugees expressed their anger on Tuesday at the decision, carrying out a general strike and protests across 12 camps.
The protests, under the slogan “Day of Anger,” paralyzed movement in the camps.
Protesters closed the entrances with burning tires. All Palestinian political forces and popular committees took part in the protests.
Palestinian refugees are not entitled to work in 72 professions in Lebanon, and are not permitted access to social security. One of the contradictions of the law is that Palestinians have the right to purchase a taxi, but are forbidden to work in it.
The Palestinian labor force is present in fragile sectors such as construction and small crafts.
Problems arise among Palestinians, who graduate from Lebanese universities and cannot work in their specialties because of trade union limitations.
A top leader of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has condemned the Lebanese government's recent crackdown on businesses hiring foreign workers without permits, calling for the revocation of the measures in the Arab country.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas political bureau, in letters sent to Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri as well as Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, demanded the Lebanese Ministry of Labor overturn a rule that requires Palestinian workers to obtain a work permit in order to gain employment.
Haniyeh expressed hope that Lebanese officials would rescind the legal and financial measures taken against Palestinian expatriates living in the country.
“We, in Hamas, see such measures as inconsistent with Lebanon’s official, historic and principled position in support of the Palestinian people’s rights,” he said.
He stressed that such measures would not serve the fraternal relations between the Lebanese and Palestinian nations, and would only further complicate the lives of Palestinian refugees.
Haniyeh finally described Palestinian refugees in Lebanon as “guests adherent to their identity and the right to return,” hoping for quick actions aimed at cessation of restrictive measures against the Palestinians and enabling them to live with dignity.
Last month, the Lebanese Labor Ministry announced a one-month deadline for companies to acquire work permits for their foreign workers. The ministry began to close businesses that did not comply after the deadline expired last week.
Over the past few days, hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon have staged protests in the capital Beirut and around their refugee camps.
Palestinian refugees expressed their anger on Tuesday at the decision, carrying out a general strike and protests across 12 camps.
The protests, under the slogan “Day of Anger,” paralyzed movement in the camps.
Protesters closed the entrances with burning tires. All Palestinian political forces and popular committees took part in the protests.
Palestinian refugees are not entitled to work in 72 professions in Lebanon, and are not permitted access to social security. One of the contradictions of the law is that Palestinians have the right to purchase a taxi, but are forbidden to work in it.
The Palestinian labor force is present in fragile sectors such as construction and small crafts.
Problems arise among Palestinians, who graduate from Lebanese universities and cannot work in their specialties because of trade union limitations.
14 july 2019
Salim Abu Ma’rouf, 36
The family of the Palestinian man Salim Abu Ma’rouf, who was found dead last Tuesday in Ma'rib in northern Yemen, has called on the Yemeni government to launch a serious investigation into his death and bring those responsible to account.
In a statement on Saturday night, the family said that Salim had been living in Yemen for more than 14 years and had no enmity with any person or party.
The family said it had lost contact with him for two days before he was found dead at a hospital in Ma'rib city, northeast of the Yemeni capital Sana’a.
The family appealed to the Palestinian and Yemeni official authorities to facilitate the transfer of Salim’s body to Palestine as well as the travel of his wife and kids to Gaza as soon as possible.
The Hamas Movement, for its part, mourned the death of Salim Abu Ma’rouf, 36, and urged the Yemeni security authorities to investigate his death.
Salim, one of Hamas’s officials in Yemen, had reportedly died at a security checkpoint in Ma'rib province on Tuesday night.
The family of the Palestinian man Salim Abu Ma’rouf, who was found dead last Tuesday in Ma'rib in northern Yemen, has called on the Yemeni government to launch a serious investigation into his death and bring those responsible to account.
In a statement on Saturday night, the family said that Salim had been living in Yemen for more than 14 years and had no enmity with any person or party.
The family said it had lost contact with him for two days before he was found dead at a hospital in Ma'rib city, northeast of the Yemeni capital Sana’a.
The family appealed to the Palestinian and Yemeni official authorities to facilitate the transfer of Salim’s body to Palestine as well as the travel of his wife and kids to Gaza as soon as possible.
The Hamas Movement, for its part, mourned the death of Salim Abu Ma’rouf, 36, and urged the Yemeni security authorities to investigate his death.
Salim, one of Hamas’s officials in Yemen, had reportedly died at a security checkpoint in Ma'rib province on Tuesday night.
