DFLP sit-in in front of UNRWA headquarters in Beirut against budget cuts

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) organized a popular sit-in on Friday in front of UNRWA’s main headquarters in Beirut to protest against budget cuts and call for a rescue plan for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, reports our correspondent.

The demonstration also coincided with the anniversary of the adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution 194, which also marks the founding of UNRWA.

Among the participants were representatives of the DFLP and residents of Palestinian camps in Beirut, who waved Palestinian flags and banners rejecting the policy of service reductions.

The protesters also denounced “the financial blockade imposed on UNRWA,” stating that “the systematic targeting of the U.N. agency aims to undermine its international responsibilities and harms the Palestinians’ right of return.”

Reading the DFLP statement, Ahmad Sokhnini said that “the political and financial targeting of UNRWA is part of the ongoing Israeli-American policies aimed at erasing the national rights of the Palestinian people.”

He recalled how the effects of the financial crisis are impacting the lives of refugees: lack of healthcare, reduced medical coverage, worsening educational problems, increasing poverty and unemployment, and the overall deterioration of conditions in the camps.

In this context, he called on UNRWA’s leadership “to act urgently to guarantee sustainable funding [for the agency and for refugees], independent of American-Israeli pressures.”

For his part, Nasser Haidar, representative of the Popular Campaign to Support Palestine, said that “the U.N. General Assembly’s adoption of five new resolutions regarding Palestine reaffirms the vitality of the cause,” especially in relation to support for UNRWA and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

He called “to capitalize on this international momentum in the face of liquidation projects, to unify Palestinian efforts and strengthen ties with global forces supporting the cause,” assuring that “the Palestinian cause is moving towards victory.”

The participants finally sent a memorandum to UNRWA leadership, which they handed to the organization’s representative, Fadi Tayyar.

Read by Khaled Abou al-Nour, it emphasized the need “to end the policies of service reductions,” and to “launch a comprehensive emergency plan for health, education and social assistance.”

The document calls for the revival of infrastructure projects, the rehabilitation of residences and schools and the completion of the reconstruction of Nahr al-Bared camp, as well as monthly and regular financial aid for all refugees, including Palestinians from Syria, along with the regularization of their residence permits.