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Refugees protest UNRWA dismissals
[Ma'an] Refugees continued to protest UNRWA cuts in West Bank camps on Thursday, burning tires and forcing staff from their offices.

Demonstrators shut down the UN agency's offices across the West Bank for the second day in protest over the dismissal of 130 employees and cuts to services.

In Bethlehem, dozens of protesters forced staff from the UNRWA center and burned tires, carrying signs condemning the decision to fire workers.

Sameer Attallah, popular committee member in Aida camp, said demonstrations sent a message to UNRWA's administration and that protests would escalate. He said the cuts were the first stage in withdrawing services to Paleostinian refugees.

UNRWA is heavily dependent on voluntary contributions, which it says have not kept pace with the increasing needs of a growing refugee population.
A Ma'an reader commented:
Burning tires causes additional CO2 emission and increases global warming/greenhouse effect. Palestinian refugees should stop increasing their numbers, may be the best way to limit number of refugees is to eliminate UNRWA. Because in fact those people are not refugees - they are palestinians living in Palestinian state. They cannot be refugees in the own state, recognized by UN General Assembly. At best they are internally displaced persons, and only those who were actually displaced in 1948.
Actions always have unintended consequences, which always seems to startle the Palestinians.
The Palestinians were simply Arabs back in '48. Their 'brother Arabs' could have taken them in but didn't. Since then they've lost a bunch of wars, alienated everyone in sight, and in general have behaved badly. Their penalty is to have to depend on the U.N. for crumbs. Enjoy.

Posted by: trailing wife 2012-12-16
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=358168