“The economic, social and health situation in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon is catastrophic and miserable. It is getting worse the day after the other because of the difficulties the Palestinian refugees face,” head of Thabit Organization for the Right of Return stated.

Sami Hammouda pointed out, on Sunday, that the refugees in Lebanon suffer from various hardships, most notably UNRWA’s escape from its responsibilities and continuous attempts to reduce its programs and basic services; health, education and employment, under the pretext of financial deficit and lack of funding.

“Refugees are facing a hard humanitarian reality and lack of the simplest human rights such as work, because of the country’s inequity for those refugees in which it prevented them from their basic legal rights,” he added.

Economical pressure

Hammouda confirmed that UNRWA keeps putting economical and social pressures on those refugees in which it didn’t provide them with any kinds of aids, but once, since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

“UNRWA has never been serious in launching any calls or emergency plans to ease the hard conditions of the refugees in Lebanon,” he commented.

He accused UNRWA of the lack of follow-up to the refugees infected with COVID 19 in the Palestinian refugees, noting that there is a notable increase in the number of refugees infected with the virus.

He warned of a humanitarian, health catastrophe in the refugees, as a result of UNRWA negligence against the refugees.

Regarding the political situations in the camps, he noted that Lebanon suffers from a deteriorated finical and economic situation whose effects affected the economic and living conditions of the Palestinian refugees. Hence, the poverty rates reached 85% and unemployment reached 75% among the refugees. (those numbers are scary)

“The effects of the civil war and the camps left several implications on the way of dealing with the refugees case, which has been linked to the political decision issued by the country’s ruler. We want governmental decisions that do justice to the refugees and support them,” he said.

He also clarified that UNRWA must provide the refugees in Lebanon with a monthly ration card of 50$ as a part of its emergency plan to make them able to live, even minimally, noting that Lebanon’ government excluded the Palestinian and Syrian refugees from the ration card.

A radical treatment

Hammouda called for finding a radical solution for all the social, humanitarian and economic situations of the refugees, and asked UNRWA to support the refuges and provide them with aids.

Regarding health, UNRWA has to reactivate its program and care more about the patients infected with COVID19.

Regarding the humanitarian situation, Hammouda believes that it needs a Palestinian, Arabic and international  intervention to put a strategic program to support the resistance of the refugees in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon.

He pointed out that the life in the camps does not face any kind of improvement neither soon not later as all horizons  are closed in front of the youth and families.

“If all the relevant authorities and Palestinian institutions did not step in by finding investment, humanitarian and economic projects  in the camps, life won’t be viable and refugees will tend to migrate,” he said.

He also said that the Palestinian student suffers from being unable to pay for his university fees as a result of unemployment and lack of scholarships.

A weak solidarity

Hammouda described the level of international solidarity as weak; it does not amount to the level of suffering the Palestinian refugees suffer from.

“There is a notable decrease in the level of solidarity. There are no longer international institutions, NGOs, EU institutions supporting any programs or projects for the sake of youth, women or others,” he mentioned.

He also said that the camps do not witness international projects as in the past, considering that his policy is among the political pressures aiming to weaken the cause of Palestinian refugees.

Support mechanisms

Hammouda confirmed that the support mechanisms must be on the Palestinian level first. Palestine Liberation Organization, Palestinian National Authority and Palestinian factions need to pay more attentions to the refugees, prioritize them and providing them with work opportunities.

He accused the Palestinian Authority of not supporting the cause of refugees and not providing with projects supporting their resistance.

On the international and Arab level, an emergency plan and budget must be compatible with the size of needs, crises and changes in the world, and an Arabic decision must be there to press Lebanon to do justice to the refugees.

He stressed that what is required from the local civil society institutions and the international ones is to serve the refugees, and launch urgent calls and relief initiatives to help them and relieve their hard humanitarian crisis.