On the 77th anniversary of the Nakba: Escalation against UNRWA and restrictions on refugee camps in Jerusalem

Written by: Dr. Tahani Al-Lawzi
On this day in 1948, the Nakba began, a people deprived of their homeland, subjected to the largest ethnic cleansing operation of the twentieth century. More than 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their cities and villages, and more than 500 Palestinian communities were destroyed. Today, 77 years later, the Nakba remains present, not only in memory, but also in the living and political reality of Palestinians, especially refugees in the Jerusalem Governorate, who face complex challenges under the occupation, in an attempt to end the status of "refugee" and erase the right of return from consciousness and history.

Targeting UNRWA: An Attack on the International Witness...
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is one of the most prominent international organizations established specifically to serve Palestinian refugees, embodying international recognition of their plight and their right of return. However, in recent years, the Israeli occupation has intensified its attempts to end UNRWA's presence, particularly in occupied Jerusalem, by pressuring donor countries to halt funding. This has led to a significant financial deficit that has directly impacted UNRWA's education, health, and relief services in Jerusalem, threatening to close its schools and health centers.
Attempts to replace the agency with the occupying municipality, by providing symbolic services with the aim of marginalizing UNRWA's role and stripping the refugee issue of its international character.
These policies aim to politically liquidate the Palestinian refugee issue and eliminate UNRWA as a legal and humanitarian witness to the ongoing Nakba.
Refugee camps in Jerusalem: renewed suffering.
There are two refugee camps in the Jerusalem Governorate. Qalandia Camp houses more than 11,000 registered refugees, while the actual population density is estimated at over 20,000.
Today, Shuafat camp houses more than 24,000 registered refugees, while the population density is estimated at more than 40,000. According to UNRWA statistics, the number of registered Palestinian refugees in the Jerusalem Governorate exceeds 100,000, the majority of whom live in the Shuafat and Qalandia camps, and areas such as Kafr Aqab, Al-Eizariya, Abu Dis, Al-Ram, and villages northwest of Jerusalem and At-Tur. Despite all the policies aimed at eliminating the refugee issue, the presence of UNRWA and the symbolism of the camp constitute two pillars of Palestinian national identity.
Commemorating the 77th anniversary of the Nakba is not limited to mourning the past, but rather an affirmation that the Nakba continues, and so does steadfastness. Palestinian refugees, foremost among them the residents of Jerusalem's refugee camps, confront oppression with steadfastness and exclusion with adherence to the right of return. On this anniversary, we renew our pledge that the Nakba will not be forgotten, and that Jerusalem, with all its people, will remain a living witness to Palestinian rights and an unwavering voice in the face of the occupation.