- Khalaf: Budget cuts worsened the tragedy for refugees in UNRWA camps.
- Al Khawaja: Camps are fortified castles and addresses for refugee's right of return
The issue of Palestinian refugees is the essence and symbol of the Palestinian cause, and their return to their homes from which they were forcibly displaced in 1948 by Zionist gangs is an irrevocable right, no matter how long it takes. It is considered a sacred and guaranteed right through the will of resilience and resistance. The elders die and the young never forget.
For 74 years, the Zionist occupation and colonial powers have tried to erase this right by targeting institutions that provide services to refugees, foremost among them the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), by reducing the financial support provided to it and attaching aid provided to more than 6 million Palestinian refugees in the occupied homeland and diaspora to specific conditions aimed primarily at erasing the right of return and compromising it.
Camps lead the resistance
To maintain the right of return and resist Zionist occupation, the Palestinian camps in the West Bank have been leading an uprising against the Zionists. Not a day passes in the camps without invasions and clashes with Zionist occupation forces, resulting in heavy losses for the Zionist occupation.
The head of the Popular Committee for Resisting Settlements, Salah al-Khawaja, affirmed that Palestinian refugee camps represent a symbol of ongoing suffering and catastrophe until now. He pointed out that the Zionist occupation considers the camps and their continued existence to be one of the most dangerous issues, whether it is related to the right of refugees to return to their lands in accordance with international resolutions, or their impact on the occupation's strategy to abolish the right of refugees to return to their lands. They also exert pressure on donor countries to stop their assistance to UNRWA.
Al-Khawaja clarified to "Al-Mujtama" that the persistence of the camps means the continuation of displacement, expulsion, and the thirst for return, which terrifies the occupation. Consequently, resistance becomes more influential, effective, and passionate for the camp's inhabitants, and this is evident through heroic operations.
He added that the occupation targets the camps through attempts to settle them and resolve their issue in coordination with the US administration, which has openly proposed several projects and plans to eradicate the right of return.
Reduction of financial assistance
In turn, the coordinator of the Refugee Affairs with the National and Islamic Forces in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Khalaf, said: The fierce war led by the Zionists in coordination with the US administration to obliterate the right of return continues, with the aim of settling the issue of Palestinian refugees, especially targeting and blackmailing the UNRWA, which was established by a UN decision 302 in 1949, until their return to their homes from the 535 villages and towns that they were forcibly expelled from in 1948 after massacres committed by Zionist gangs.
Khalaf pointed out that the US administration has attempted over the past years to undermine their just cause through marketing several projects, including the project that the issue of refugees and their right to return to their homes is not hereditary, and inciting the world not to renew the mandate of UNRWA, which is renewed every 3 years by the United Nations General Assembly.
He continued: However, despite that, 157 countries voted to renew the mandate of UNRWA in the United Nations General Assembly, and this clearly indicates the world's recognition of the refugees' tragedy.
Regarding the financial crisis that UNRWA is experiencing, Khalaf confirmed that the agency needs approximately one billion and six hundred million dollars annually for its operations.
Khalaf explained that this year's deficit amounted to $170 million, which is the amount the agency needs to finance its services, employee salaries, and educational and healthcare services until the end of the current year.
He mentioned that there is a serious issue concerning the conditions imposed by donor countries to provide financial aid to UNRWA, and this is a dangerous development. He emphasized that the Palestinian people are determined to exercise their right of return to their homeland in accordance with the UN resolution (194).
Refugee camps and their geographical distribution
Palestinian refugees are present in 5 areas, where they sought refuge after being displaced from their homes in 1948. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides educational, healthcare, relief, and employment services in these areas. The areas are as follows:
1- Gaza Strip, where there are 8 camps housing around one and a quarter million Palestinian refugees. 80% of them live in harsh poverty conditions. UNRWA provides various services to the refugees through 200 facilities operated by its 10,000 employees.
2- In the West Bank, there are 19 camps for Palestinian refugees distributed in several areas. They live in harsh conditions due to constant invasions, siege, and killings by the occupying forces.
3- Approximately 483,000 Palestinian refugees live in 12 camps in Lebanon.
4- In Jordan, more than 2.1 million Palestinian refugees live in 13 camps under harsh living conditions.
5- There are about 570,000 Palestinian refugees living in 12 camps in Syria.
In addition, the Palestinian Refugee Affairs Department documented the displacement of around 800,000 Palestinians from their homes by Zionist gangs during the catastrophe.
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