Nearly 51,000 children living in refugee camps in the West Bank have been out of school since early December 2013 due to a strike by United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employees. The strike has deprived resident refugees of schooling, medical care and other basic essential services. Young Palestinians have led protests in the West Bank to call attention to their dire circumstances and demand assistance.
The UNRWA is in the midst of an economic crisis due to the high cost of responding to the Syrian civil war along with several other crises worldwide. As a result, many UNRWA employees have been dismissed and others have been denied requested pay raises. Approximately 5,000 Palestinians work in the 19 camps established in the West Bank to assist nearly 740,000 refugees. Since the strike began, schools have closed, health centers have stopped treating patients, food distribution has ceased, and trash has begun piling in the streets without anyone to collect it. Palestinian protests in response to the strike have also had negative consequences. Protesters have used stones and burning tires to block roads near refugee camps, and they have also thrown stones at police officers who responded with tear gas , baton and stone attacks. These clashes have resulted in injuries to both protesters and police.
“We are protesting because the UNRWA employees are on strike and this have led to the closure of schools and clinics. This affects me too. It affects my education. And look at the trash all over the place,” explained 14 year old Hamzeh Al Bis from the Al Amari refugee camp
Palestinian refugees in these UN camps are extremely frustrated and feel abandoned by the government and the international community. Palestinian Committees explained that they organized protests in order to call attention to the dire circumstances under which they are currently living. Only after they began blocking roads and clashing with Palestinian police did they gain the international attention they desired. This delayed response has led to feelings of frustration and victimization.
According to Dr. Adel Yihye, an anthropologist from the Jalazun refugee camp, “the essence of being a refugee is betrayal. You were betrayed, you were a victim, and nobody takes any notice of you. That’s a central part of the refugees’ psychology.”
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