Palestinian mass sit-in in Lebanon, insisting on continuing UNRWA’s work and refusing to transfer its powers to alternative bodies

The Joint Palestinian Action Committee carried out a sit-in today, Tuesday (14 June), in front of the Movempick Hotel in Beirut, in refusal to delegate an alternative to UNRWA and reduce its services in Lebanon and to demand its improvement in serving the Palestinian people, coinciding with the meeting of the UNRWA Advisory Committee.
The participants gathered in front of the hotel where the meetings were being held, raising banners that read: “UNRWA will remain in place until a just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue is found in accordance with Resolution 194,” and “secure emergency, urgent and sustainable financial relief until the end of the crisis in Lebanon.” The inclusion of families who have fallen below the poverty line in affairs”.
Palestinian activist Marwan Abdel-Jawad told “Sputnik” that “the conference, in which the donor countries participate, is an attempt to dissolve UNRWA and transfer the refugee files to institutions and charitable societies to dissolve the Palestinian refugee issue, and UNRWA was established by UN Resolution No. 194, which guarantees the right of return for the Palestinian people, and to dissolve the Palestinian refugees’ issue.” UNRWA will lead to an attempt to resettle the refugees, disperse them, and give up their rights.”
In this context, the Secretary of the “Fatah” movement and the “PLO” factions, Fathi Abu al-Aradat, said that “the sit-in is in order to confirm the rejection of what was announced by the UNRWA Commissioner-General through a clear popular position on finding sources of funding from United Nations organizations outside the framework of UNRWA, and this is a worrying indicator.” For us, because we consider that UNRWA was established for the relief and employment of Palestinian refugees, and it must remain so.”
He added, “We hope to secure a stable budget for UNRWA by the United Nations to avoid a permanent budget deficit, and it is the only United Nations organization that does not have a fixed budget and is based on voluntary donations, which leads to a permanent deficit in its work.”
Abu al-Aradat affirmed, “We reject all forms of settlement and displacement, because we see that there are those who implement the Trump project and some chapters of it. We are concerned about this issue, and we affirm that the Palestinians are committed to their homeland and their land and reject the alternative homeland and all settlement projects as well as displacement.”
On 14 and 15 June, Beirut will host the meetings of the UNRWA Advisory Committee. On its agenda is the UNRWA financial crisis, its strategic plans and the challenges posed by the events in Ukraine on global and regional security, and the renewal of its mandate next September.
It is noteworthy that UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) provides assistance, protection and support to approximately five million and six hundred thousand Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territories, until a solution to their suffering is reached.
The Agency’s services include education, health care, relief, infrastructure and camp improvement, community support, microfinance and emergency response, including in times of armed conflict.