The office of the director of UNRWA services was closed by Palestinians demanding their needs be met. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — Palestinian refugees in the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon closed the office of the director of UNRWA services there Monday, demanding the complete reconstruction of the camp and the payment of rent and furniture allowances to displaced families, among other things.
“Based on the UNRWA's failure to respond to the demands, the camp director's office will be closed until further notice, property will not be damaged, and health, education and clinic work will continue,” explained the statement released by the families of the “new camp,” which is being constructed by UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.
Thousands of Palestinians were displaced from Nahr al-Bared camp in 2007, when clashes broke out between the Lebanese Army and the militant group Fatah al-Islam, leaving the camp partially destroyed.
“We demand the immediate payment of the rent allowance to the families who have not yet returned to their homes and the start of the reconstruction of the demolished buildings, and this is a promise from the head of the Palestinian-Lebanese Dialogue Committee, Dr. Basil al-Hassan, to end this file in the year 2023,” the statement said.
The destruction of Nahr el-Bared camp in 2007 led to the loss of the houses and properties of the Palestinian community, according to the UN. Over 27,000 Palestinian refugees were forced to abandon their houses. The UNRWA compound housing the agency’s health center, schools and relief office was also completely destroyed. Sixteen years later, much of the community remains uprooted and continues to rely heavily on assistance from UNRWA.
In January, UNRWA appealed for $1.6 billion in funding to support its work across the region in 2023. The agency has struggled for years to overcome chronic budget shortfalls, which worsened dramatically in 2018 when former US President Donald Trump cut support for the agency.
The statement said that UNRWA “needs to start giving furniture allowances to all the people of the new camp, and working with donor countries to end the camp file, with its old and new parts, in addition to compensation for the families.”
Most Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live in 12 official camps, in which already difficult living conditions have been worsened by Lebanon's economic crisis. Palestinians also face a variety of legal restrictions, including on their employment.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak