Press Releases

Statement by The GPRN and BADIL

Once again, the international community, and more specifically UNRWA, attempts to shirk its international responsibilities towards Palestinian refugees by targeting the Arab Staff Union (ASU) and deferring the implementation of its services to the target groups that is supposed to receive those services – Palestinian refugees.

In a recent statement made by Mr. Adam Bouloukos, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, UNRWA is attempting to guilt the ASU to call off the strike, laying the blame for the delay and lack of services at the ASU’s feet. This is despite the fact that UNRWA has failed to honor and implement decades old agreements between UNRWA and ASU. In effect, UNRWA is blaming the survivors of the Ongoing Nakba for the current shortfall of services. Rather, this is a clear attempt by UNRWA to isolate and demonize the ASU.

While service delivery is one of UNRWA’s main functions, it also has a duty to respect and uphold Palestinian refugees’ dignity and rights, including those of the ASU.  Therefore, the Agency should not blame the ASU for the shortfall in services, and penalize them for taking steps to ensure their workers’ rights.

UNRWA also called “on the refugee community, advocates, and representatives, including in the camps, to support us in delivering services to Palestine Refugees.”[1] This indicates that UNRWA is attempting to incite Palestinian refugee communities to take sides against the ASU members, who are also members of the same communities and refugees themselves. Not only is UNRWA deliberately attempting fragment the Palestinian refugee community in the West Bank, it is also attempting once again to shift its responsibilities onto the shoulders of others – this time the Palestinian refugee community itself. 

BADIL and the 42-member Global Palestinian Refugee Network (GPRN):

1. Reject any and all attempts to shift UNRWA’s responsibilities to any other entity. The provision of services or lack thereof to Palestinian refugees, is entirely the responsibility of the Agency and the international community.
2. Reject UNRWA’s approach to fragment the Palestinian refugee community, and isolate and demonize the ASU.
3. Call on UNRWA to fulfil its agreements with and obligations to the ASU.
4. Call on the international community, specifically the United Nations and its member states to resolve UNRWA’s chronic funding crisis by instituting a mandatory funding mechanism that allows the Agency to implement its mandate and responsibilities towards Palestinian refugees.