10 may 2019
“Lebanon would never survive if half a million Palestinian refugees and 1.6 million Syrian refugees remained in the country,” according to the Lebanese president, Michel Aoun.
Aoun’s remarks came during a meeting held at the presidential palace in Beirut, on Thursday evening, with a delegation from the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), headed by its Secretary-General, Souraya Bechealany.
Aoun called on the MECC to help the Lebanese government resolve the Syrian refugee issue “by persuading western countries to accept the refugees return to their countries as soon as possible.”
He also pointed out that “Israel has declared that the Palestinian refugees would remain where they are,” and warned that if the refugees remained in Lebanon, “its demographics would change completely.”
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said in a 2017 report that there are about 174,422 Palestinian refugees that currently live in 12 camps and 156 Palestinian communities across Lebanon’s five districts.
The UN, which runs services in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, considers them among the most crowded urban areas in the world.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon reached a total of 997,000 at the end of November 2017, excluding the Syrians who are not registered with UNHCR.
Aoun’s remarks came during a meeting held at the presidential palace in Beirut, on Thursday evening, with a delegation from the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), headed by its Secretary-General, Souraya Bechealany.
Aoun called on the MECC to help the Lebanese government resolve the Syrian refugee issue “by persuading western countries to accept the refugees return to their countries as soon as possible.”
He also pointed out that “Israel has declared that the Palestinian refugees would remain where they are,” and warned that if the refugees remained in Lebanon, “its demographics would change completely.”
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said in a 2017 report that there are about 174,422 Palestinian refugees that currently live in 12 camps and 156 Palestinian communities across Lebanon’s five districts.
The UN, which runs services in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, considers them among the most crowded urban areas in the world.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon reached a total of 997,000 at the end of November 2017, excluding the Syrians who are not registered with UNHCR.
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Pierre Krähenbühl, and the Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the United Nations, Craig Hawke have signed a three-year commitment, between 2019 and 2021, of $2 million to support core UNRWA programs.
The Permanent Representative reaffirmed New Zealand’s commitment to UNRWA saying “UNRWA continues to play a unique and vital role ensuring that the humanitarian, development and protection needs of Palestinian refugees are met in the absence of a lasting political solution to their situation. With this three-year un-earmarked contribution, New Zealand is proud to continue our long-standing commitment to UNRWA and to Palestinian refugees.”
This multi-year agreement is critical in enabling predictable funding that will allow UNRWA to continue to provide uninterrupted services to Palestine refugees, including education to 532,000 Palestine refugee boys and girls in 715 UNRWA schools across the Middle East. This support will have a direct positive impact on the well-being of some of the most vulnerable refugees in the Middle East.
Expressing his appreciation, UNRWA Commissioner-General Krähenbühl stated: “UNRWA is proud to partner with the Government of New Zealand. We are grateful for the generous support provided by New Zealand and deeply impressed by the strength of the country’s commitment to our work. This multi-year contribution helps protects our service delivery and represents a contribution towards stability for Palestine refugees and the Middle East region.”
Through this contribution, New Zealand will help UNRWA directly address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of poverty eradication and respect for human rights, which are both at the core of the Agency’s human development and humanitarian and protection work.
UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees as well as the cessation of all aid subsidies by the US administration.
The Permanent Representative reaffirmed New Zealand’s commitment to UNRWA saying “UNRWA continues to play a unique and vital role ensuring that the humanitarian, development and protection needs of Palestinian refugees are met in the absence of a lasting political solution to their situation. With this three-year un-earmarked contribution, New Zealand is proud to continue our long-standing commitment to UNRWA and to Palestinian refugees.”
This multi-year agreement is critical in enabling predictable funding that will allow UNRWA to continue to provide uninterrupted services to Palestine refugees, including education to 532,000 Palestine refugee boys and girls in 715 UNRWA schools across the Middle East. This support will have a direct positive impact on the well-being of some of the most vulnerable refugees in the Middle East.
Expressing his appreciation, UNRWA Commissioner-General Krähenbühl stated: “UNRWA is proud to partner with the Government of New Zealand. We are grateful for the generous support provided by New Zealand and deeply impressed by the strength of the country’s commitment to our work. This multi-year contribution helps protects our service delivery and represents a contribution towards stability for Palestine refugees and the Middle East region.”
Through this contribution, New Zealand will help UNRWA directly address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of poverty eradication and respect for human rights, which are both at the core of the Agency’s human development and humanitarian and protection work.
UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees as well as the cessation of all aid subsidies by the US administration.
6 may 2019
The Government of Italy contributed 1.9 million Euros to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to support the provision of primary health care at six health centers in the besieged Gaza Strip for a period of six months in 2019.
According to an UNRWA press release, this contribution will help provide some 450,000 medical consultations and benefit approximately 340,000 Palestinian refugees.
Expressing his gratitude, Marc Lassouaoui, Chief of Donor Relations, UNRWA Department of External Relations and Communications, thanked Italy for its “continued and generous support towards our health program in Gaza at this time of great need.”
Lassouaoui added, “This contribution will help us ensuring the provision of health care which directly contributes towards the human development of Palestine refugees.”
The Consul General of Italy to Jerusalem, Fabio Sokolowicz, restated Italy’s longstanding support of the health sector in Palestine, underscoring the crucial importance of ensuring primary health care in the Gaza strip.
Sokolowicz said, “Since 2012 alone, the Government of Italy has contributed over 60 million Euros that enabled UNRWA to continue providing vital services to Palestine refugees.”
Cristina Natoli, Head of Office, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) also said, “Through this project, AICS reaffirms both its commitment as a lead donor agency in the health sector in Palestine and its dedication to supporting Palestine refugees in Gaza.”
Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the United Nations founded UNWRA, to help resettle nearly 700,000 Palestinians after the Arab-Israeli war; UNRWA says that there are 5.3 million Palestinian refugees in the world.
UNRWA currently provides services to some 5 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the occupied Palestinian territories, and the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to an UNRWA press release, this contribution will help provide some 450,000 medical consultations and benefit approximately 340,000 Palestinian refugees.
Expressing his gratitude, Marc Lassouaoui, Chief of Donor Relations, UNRWA Department of External Relations and Communications, thanked Italy for its “continued and generous support towards our health program in Gaza at this time of great need.”
Lassouaoui added, “This contribution will help us ensuring the provision of health care which directly contributes towards the human development of Palestine refugees.”
The Consul General of Italy to Jerusalem, Fabio Sokolowicz, restated Italy’s longstanding support of the health sector in Palestine, underscoring the crucial importance of ensuring primary health care in the Gaza strip.
Sokolowicz said, “Since 2012 alone, the Government of Italy has contributed over 60 million Euros that enabled UNRWA to continue providing vital services to Palestine refugees.”
Cristina Natoli, Head of Office, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) also said, “Through this project, AICS reaffirms both its commitment as a lead donor agency in the health sector in Palestine and its dedication to supporting Palestine refugees in Gaza.”
Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the United Nations founded UNWRA, to help resettle nearly 700,000 Palestinians after the Arab-Israeli war; UNRWA says that there are 5.3 million Palestinian refugees in the world.
UNRWA currently provides services to some 5 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the occupied Palestinian territories, and the besieged Gaza Strip.
26 apr 2019
The Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs said, in a statement, today, that it is carefully following up with competent Belgian and Lebanese authorities on the mysterious death of Palestinian-Lebanese child Daniel Al-Alali, in Belgium.
Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Riyad Al-Malki issued orders to the Palestinian embassy in Belgium to cooperate with Belgian authorities, to exert every possible effort to uncover the details behind the mysterious death, as well as to offer necessary help to the child’s family, added the statement, according to WAFA.
About five months after the nine-year-old child arrived with his mother, in France, coming from Lebanon, where his family had lived, Daniel was reportedly kidnapped by unknown assailants, and was found killed and buried in a refugee center, a few days later.
Ahmad, Daniel’s uncle, told the Lebanon-based An-Nahar daily that, at first, his brother Mahmoud, Daniel’s father, had received a phone call from Belgian police, to the effect that Daniel’s bike had been found but with no clues about the child’s whereabouts. The other day, Ahmad continued, Daniel was found dead but his uncles, who rushed from Germany to Belgium, were not allowed to see his body, by Belgian authorities.
Ever since, the police have arrested five suspects, for investigation, amid unconfirmed reports saying the child was killed by a gang of five culprits.
Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Riyad Al-Malki issued orders to the Palestinian embassy in Belgium to cooperate with Belgian authorities, to exert every possible effort to uncover the details behind the mysterious death, as well as to offer necessary help to the child’s family, added the statement, according to WAFA.
About five months after the nine-year-old child arrived with his mother, in France, coming from Lebanon, where his family had lived, Daniel was reportedly kidnapped by unknown assailants, and was found killed and buried in a refugee center, a few days later.
Ahmad, Daniel’s uncle, told the Lebanon-based An-Nahar daily that, at first, his brother Mahmoud, Daniel’s father, had received a phone call from Belgian police, to the effect that Daniel’s bike had been found but with no clues about the child’s whereabouts. The other day, Ahmad continued, Daniel was found dead but his uncles, who rushed from Germany to Belgium, were not allowed to see his body, by Belgian authorities.
Ever since, the police have arrested five suspects, for investigation, amid unconfirmed reports saying the child was killed by a gang of five culprits.
7 apr 2019
The Action Group for Palestinians of Syria (AGPS) said that 241 Palestinian children have been killed in the war in Syria.
The AGPS monitoring and documentation team said that 123 children were killed by shelling and 15 by sniper bullets, 11 were gunned down, two died under torture, and 22 drowned in the sea. One child was killed in mysterious circumstances.
The team said that 22 children were killed in car blasts, 34 died as a result of the blockade and lack of medical care, and 14 either were fatally burned, choked to death, died in a run-over accident, or were kidnapped then killed.
The AGPS believes the number on the ground is larger because its reporters and correspondents were unable to document the ages of all victims due to the continued bombing and clashes.
Based on the latest AGPS statistics, 3,920 Palestinian refugees have been killed in Syria since the war started.
The AGPS monitoring and documentation team said that 123 children were killed by shelling and 15 by sniper bullets, 11 were gunned down, two died under torture, and 22 drowned in the sea. One child was killed in mysterious circumstances.
The team said that 22 children were killed in car blasts, 34 died as a result of the blockade and lack of medical care, and 14 either were fatally burned, choked to death, died in a run-over accident, or were kidnapped then killed.
The AGPS believes the number on the ground is larger because its reporters and correspondents were unable to document the ages of all victims due to the continued bombing and clashes.
Based on the latest AGPS statistics, 3,920 Palestinian refugees have been killed in Syria since the war started.
1 apr 2019
Arab Organization for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) stated that Palestinian citizen Mahran Mustafa Baajour, 39, has been subjected to enforced disappearance and torture in Ghana by security agents, believed to be Mossad agents, since his arrest on 13 December 2018 until his release in March 2019.
Baajour arrived in Ghana on 13 December 2018 on a business trip. He was arrested after leaving the airport of Ghanaian capital Accra, without justification. He was arrested along with two other Ghanaian nationals who were at his reception, and they were all taken to an unknown location. The two Ghanaian men were later released and they informed Baajour's family of his arrest.
During his detention, Baajour’s family contacted the relevant authorities in Ghana, including the Internal Intelligence, to inquire about the reasons and place of his detention; however, the authorities denied his presence in Ghana or that they had arrested him in the first place. His fate remained unknown until the moment of his release.
AOHR UK confirmed that Baajour was subjected to physical torture, beating all over his body, psychological torture, insult and verbal abuse by white-skinned officers speaking little Arabic language. Some officers’ clothes had Hebrew writings on it.
In his statement to the organization, Baajour said: “As soon as I left the airport in Accra, four cars surrounded the car I was in, with another two Ghanaian men who were at my reception.
They arrested us without showing a legal warrant, without disclosing the agency they belong to and took us to another place, where they exchanged cars. They took me to an unknown place, I still do not know, and I was handcuffed the whole time.
I asked them about the detention center or agency, they told me they are from the International Counter-Terrorism Agency. White-skinned men, who knew little Arabic, started investigating me. They were 14 men from different nationalities as they told me. I noticed on a coat, which belongs to one of them, Hebrew badges, Hebrew written papers, and some of them used Hebrew words like “Shekel”.
I was interrogated about the situation of the refugees in Lebanon, the Lebanese and Palestinian political forces, some terrorist activities and operations that were not related to me and I told them so. They tortured me in various ways for 35 days. They detained me in a narrow room, 1x1 meters, deprived me of sleep for up to three consecutive days, poured cold water on me and beat me on the head strongly, in addition to handcuffing my hands and feet all the time. They threatened me with kidnapping my 12-year-old daughter and killing her, while verbally abusing me.”
Baajour added, “I lost 25 kg of weight because of the starvation I was subjected to. For the whole duration of my detention, I only ate one tomato and a cucumber daily. I also suffered many injuries and bruises due to torture. I asked to be seen by a doctor to treat my injuries, but they ignored my request.
I believe the interrogation process did not take place in one country. I was taken by plane for hours to change the location of the investigation. I was blindfolded and could not identify the location or the state.
While releasing me, they told me not to speak of what had happened or the airport from which I traveled back, which was in Kenya as I learned later.”
The Ghanaian authorities must open a transparent and extensive investigation into the enforced disappearance as well as the torture Baajour has been through at the hands of Ghanaian and foreign security personnel, which violates Ghanaian as well as international laws.
The Ghanaian authorities must bring those responsible for this crime to justice.
AOHR UK condemns the cooperation between the Ghanaian and Kenyan security services with the Israeli Mossad, which is known for its brutality and its various international crimes.
AOHR UK calls on the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on torture to investigate the enforced disappearance and torture of Baajour.
Source: Arab Organization for Human Rights in UK
Baajour arrived in Ghana on 13 December 2018 on a business trip. He was arrested after leaving the airport of Ghanaian capital Accra, without justification. He was arrested along with two other Ghanaian nationals who were at his reception, and they were all taken to an unknown location. The two Ghanaian men were later released and they informed Baajour's family of his arrest.
During his detention, Baajour’s family contacted the relevant authorities in Ghana, including the Internal Intelligence, to inquire about the reasons and place of his detention; however, the authorities denied his presence in Ghana or that they had arrested him in the first place. His fate remained unknown until the moment of his release.
AOHR UK confirmed that Baajour was subjected to physical torture, beating all over his body, psychological torture, insult and verbal abuse by white-skinned officers speaking little Arabic language. Some officers’ clothes had Hebrew writings on it.
In his statement to the organization, Baajour said: “As soon as I left the airport in Accra, four cars surrounded the car I was in, with another two Ghanaian men who were at my reception.
They arrested us without showing a legal warrant, without disclosing the agency they belong to and took us to another place, where they exchanged cars. They took me to an unknown place, I still do not know, and I was handcuffed the whole time.
I asked them about the detention center or agency, they told me they are from the International Counter-Terrorism Agency. White-skinned men, who knew little Arabic, started investigating me. They were 14 men from different nationalities as they told me. I noticed on a coat, which belongs to one of them, Hebrew badges, Hebrew written papers, and some of them used Hebrew words like “Shekel”.
I was interrogated about the situation of the refugees in Lebanon, the Lebanese and Palestinian political forces, some terrorist activities and operations that were not related to me and I told them so. They tortured me in various ways for 35 days. They detained me in a narrow room, 1x1 meters, deprived me of sleep for up to three consecutive days, poured cold water on me and beat me on the head strongly, in addition to handcuffing my hands and feet all the time. They threatened me with kidnapping my 12-year-old daughter and killing her, while verbally abusing me.”
Baajour added, “I lost 25 kg of weight because of the starvation I was subjected to. For the whole duration of my detention, I only ate one tomato and a cucumber daily. I also suffered many injuries and bruises due to torture. I asked to be seen by a doctor to treat my injuries, but they ignored my request.
I believe the interrogation process did not take place in one country. I was taken by plane for hours to change the location of the investigation. I was blindfolded and could not identify the location or the state.
While releasing me, they told me not to speak of what had happened or the airport from which I traveled back, which was in Kenya as I learned later.”
The Ghanaian authorities must open a transparent and extensive investigation into the enforced disappearance as well as the torture Baajour has been through at the hands of Ghanaian and foreign security personnel, which violates Ghanaian as well as international laws.
The Ghanaian authorities must bring those responsible for this crime to justice.
AOHR UK condemns the cooperation between the Ghanaian and Kenyan security services with the Israeli Mossad, which is known for its brutality and its various international crimes.
AOHR UK calls on the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on torture to investigate the enforced disappearance and torture of Baajour.
Source: Arab Organization for Human Rights in UK
18 mar 2019
The family of the Palestinian refugee Mahran Baajour has appealed for his release from captivity in Ghana, accusing the Ghanaian authorities of kidnapping him three months ago.
The family called on the media in a statement on Monday to cover a sit-in on Tuesday in Beirut to reveal the fate of Baajour who was kidnapped in the authorities in Ghana.
“At the end of last year, the authorities of the state of Ghana kidnapped and hid businessman Mahran Mustafa Baajour, a Palestinian refugee residing in Lebanon”, the statement read.
It added that all efforts by his family and friends failed to reveal his fate.
“We, the family of Mahran and his friends, hold the Government of the State of Ghana directly responsible for the disappearance of Mahran.
The statement identified the refugee as Mahran Mostafa Baajour, who was born in 1980 in Tripoli, Lebanon, and who is a businessman.
It said that the Ghanaian authorities kidnapped him on 13/12/2018, refusing to recognize his existence despite all the evidences that were provided by his lawyers.
Ghana's media have spoken of his kidnapping and asked authorities on his whereabouts but the authorities ignored the calls.
The family called on the media in a statement on Monday to cover a sit-in on Tuesday in Beirut to reveal the fate of Baajour who was kidnapped in the authorities in Ghana.
“At the end of last year, the authorities of the state of Ghana kidnapped and hid businessman Mahran Mustafa Baajour, a Palestinian refugee residing in Lebanon”, the statement read.
It added that all efforts by his family and friends failed to reveal his fate.
“We, the family of Mahran and his friends, hold the Government of the State of Ghana directly responsible for the disappearance of Mahran.
The statement identified the refugee as Mahran Mostafa Baajour, who was born in 1980 in Tripoli, Lebanon, and who is a businessman.
It said that the Ghanaian authorities kidnapped him on 13/12/2018, refusing to recognize his existence despite all the evidences that were provided by his lawyers.
Ghana's media have spoken of his kidnapping and asked authorities on his whereabouts but the authorities ignored the calls.
16 mar 2019
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates declared, on Saturday, that through the Palestinian embassy in Australia's contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New Zealand, although not officially, that six Palestinians were killed and six others were injured in the mass shooting targeting two mosques in Christchurch City, in New Zealand, on Friday, in which 49 people were killed.
The ministry said in a statement that the New Zealand authorities still refuse to list the names of the victims, but would, however, inform their families as soon as they are identified regardless of their home country.
According to the ministry, the following were identified among those killed as having Palestinian origins, Abed al-Fattah Qassem Duqqa, Ali al-Madani, Atta Muhammad Elayyan, Amjad Hmeid, Usama Abu Kweik and Kamel Darwish.
The names of the following were identified among the injured, Wassim Daraghmeh, Aylin Daraghmeh, Bassel Asaad, Shihadeh al-Sinnawi, Muhammad Elayyan and Khalid Hijjawi.
The ministry instructed the Palestinian ambassador to Australia, who is a non-resident ambassador to New Zealand, to follow up with the local authorities on the conditions of those injured.
The ministry said in a statement that the New Zealand authorities still refuse to list the names of the victims, but would, however, inform their families as soon as they are identified regardless of their home country.
According to the ministry, the following were identified among those killed as having Palestinian origins, Abed al-Fattah Qassem Duqqa, Ali al-Madani, Atta Muhammad Elayyan, Amjad Hmeid, Usama Abu Kweik and Kamel Darwish.
The names of the following were identified among the injured, Wassim Daraghmeh, Aylin Daraghmeh, Bassel Asaad, Shihadeh al-Sinnawi, Muhammad Elayyan and Khalid Hijjawi.
The ministry instructed the Palestinian ambassador to Australia, who is a non-resident ambassador to New Zealand, to follow up with the local authorities on the conditions of those injured.