Palestinians hold a sit-in against UNRWA cuts

Palestinians organized another sit-in today in Beirut in front of UNRWA headquarters, to protest the decision announced in mid-January to reduce the activities of the United Nations agency in its areas of operation starting Feb. 1.

The call to mobilize was issued by the Committee for the Defense of Palestinian Refugees' Rights in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees displaced from Syria and the Independent Palestinian Movement. Participants condemned the agency's decision to cut health, education and social services provided to Palestinian refugees, and criticized its refusal to meet the demands of teachers and staff.

Speaking on behalf of the Committee for the Defense of Palestinian Refugees' Rights and the Independent Palestinian Movement, Jihad Mouawad held UNRWA "fully responsible for the catastrophic consequences" of the reduction in services for the Palestinian community, "especially the Palestinian refugees who came from Syria." He accused the agency's director in Lebanon, Dorothee Klaus, of "planning around the clock programs that go against the interests of Palestinian refugees," warning of a "liquidation of UNRWA" and "a threat to the right of return."

The UNRWA decision is expected to have a major impact on the agency's employees in Lebanon, many of whom are Palestinian, resulting in salary and working hour reductions. These measures are also expected to impact Palestinian schoolchildren who will shift to four-day school week instead of five, according to information gathered from local Palestinian officials.

Hassan al-Sayyed, a dismissed UNRWA employee, denounced "the agency's poor treatment regarding Palestinian national identity." He warned of "the dangers of reducing teachers' pay and working hours on the education process," and raised concerns about "the impact of these decisions on students' academic levels and, more broadly, on the future of the refugee community." The sit-in also saw a protester attempt to set herself on fire, citing the unbearable pressure she claims to face as a result of what she believes are unjust cuts to UNRWA services. Portraits of Dorothy Klaus and Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the U.N. agency, were also burned.

Residents of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp had also organized a sit-in on Jan. 20 in front of the UNRWA headquarters in Saida in south Lebanon, following a call from the Independent Palestinian Movement to protest against UNRWA service reductions and to denounce "arbitrary measures taken against several Palestinian employees" of the agency.