Roland Friedrich

At a time when the #WestBank is witnessing heightened violence and heavy movement restrictions, UNRWA’s summer camps provide spaces for children to play and learn.

Like around 8,600 girls and boys, Sara took part in sports and art activities.

See what she has to say. 

#UNRWAworks

In Umm al-Khair, the occupation is damning us to multigenerational trauma I saw the first bulldozers arrive in my village 17 years ago. Now, after the most brutal weeks in our history, my son will carry similarly painful memories.

Awdah was more than a victim: he was a voice. In the below article, he describes whis childhood under the Israeli occupation, having watched bulldozers enter his community as a child. And how now, as a father, he tried to shelter his children from this cruel reality. www.972mag.com/umm-al-khair...

Awdah was a father to three small children, a teacher, and a strong advocate for his community. He dedicated his life to protecting it. I extend my sincere condolences to his family and his community, and call for accountability for this senseless act of violence.

Sadly, his death is not a solitary event, but part of an insidious pattern of unrestrained Israeli settler violence and the suffocation of Palestinian herding communities. Humanitarian actors, including @unrwa.org are increasingly constrained and denied access to protect those most at risk.

I have had the privilege of visiting Umm al Kheir, and it is there that I met Awdah Hathaleen, who introduced me to the community and the extremely difficult situation it was facing due to the neighboring settlers. Yesterday evening, it was one of these Israeli settlers that shot and killed Awdah.

It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of two members of the Palestine refugee community of Umm al Kheir in the #SouthHebron Hills in the #WestBank yesterday. A third community member was seriously injured during the same incident.

This precious initiative, supporting Palestine refugee children and their wellbeing, was made possible by the generous support of the Government of Valencia and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. Gràcies! Grazie!

Under the theme ‘We Love Life’, UNRWA students actively participated in sports, drama, and arts activities, giving them the chance to build friendships - and simply be children and to have fun. Children everywhere have the #RightToPlay!

This week, approximately 8,600 boys and girls have been participating in summer camps at 48 @unrwa.org schools across the #WestBank. At a time when the West Bank is witnessing heightened violence and heavy movement restrictions, there are very few safe spaces for children to play and learn.

A thought-provoking opinion piece by Peter Lerner, calling for concrete action to end the war in #Gaza. The same could be said for situation in the #WestBank, which continues to deteriorate by the day. Since October 2023, the conflict in Gaza has cast its shadow on the West Bank as well.

“Diplomacy is not broken beyond repair but it must remember its purpose: not to look concerned, but to make change happen. The people of the region don’t need more words. It needs leadership. It needs consequences. And above all, it needs hope backed by deeds.”

Instead of deepening polarisation, the current situation in the #OccupiedPalestinianTerritory calls for more open and honest dialogue, and for cooperation instead of confrontation.

UNRWA is the biggest humanitarian actor in the region. De facto evicting UN officials is contrary to Israel’s obligations as a UN member state. Civilians on all sides, including #PalestineRefugees, stand to suffer the most when international presence is further reduced.

In parallel, the Israeli Security Forces operation 'Iron Wall' unfolded, becoming the largest and most destructive operation in the #WestBank since the second intifada. There has also been hardening rhetoric towards all humanitarian organisations, with shrinking #HumanitarianSpace.

UNRWA's international staff also received official visas through the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate their humanitarian work. In January this year this channel of communication closed when anti-UNRWA Knesset laws entered into force.

What is little known is that for decades,
@unrwa.org international staff in the #WestBank were instrumental in coordinating with Israeli counterparts to address any security or operational issues on the ground – including questions of neutrality and life-saving humanitarian access.

Israel denies visa extension for top UN official over Gaza war criticism ***

Israel is expelling yet another UN official, growing the vacuum of international humanitarian presence just when it is most needed in the #OccupiedPalestinianTerritory. @unrwa.org international staff were already forced to leave #Gaza and the #WestBank months ago.

www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Last week, a proposed amendment to the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) laws against UNRWA was published.

The amendment contains two key proposals against UNRWA in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly targeting East Jerusalem

Full statement: www.unrwa.org/newsroom/off...

This assistance helps #PalestineRefugees forcibly displaced maintain a roof over their head. It is not, however, a permanent solution. The root causes of this #ForcedDisplacement must be addressed, and families enabled to return home and rebuild their lives.

@unrwa.org and partners aim to reach the most vulnerable families with temporary rental assistance, enabling them to access safe and dignified shelter. With support from @ec.europa.eu (DG ECHO), UNRWA has begun to distribute Cash for Rent to nearly 5,000 families from the northern #WestBank.

Cash for Rent provides a lifeline for #PalestineRefugees who have been forcibly displaced from their homes in camps in the northern #WestBank. Access to #SafeShelter is a human right and a basic need during emergencies.

Such demolitions are illegal, constitute a form of collective punishment, and serve no immediate security purpose. They need to be stopped.

What we are witnessing in the northern camps of the #WestBank is not just destruction, it is the systematic erasure of entire refugee communities and their collective memory. The very presence of @unrwa.org to serve these #PalestineRefugees is being challenged.

#JeninCamp has endured continuous destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes, since July 2023, with many families already repeatedly displaced. The mass demolitions conducted as part of Israeli Security Forces operation ‘Iron Wall’ have taken this destruction to a new level.

YouTube video by DW News Mass displacements and demolitions in the occupied West Bank | DW Shorts

“It’s not the camp we knew before. I want to cry for it.”  

A compelling DW News report on Palestinian women who were finally able to return to #JeninCamp for the first time in six months to check on their homes. They found scenes that brought them to tears.  

www.youtube.com/shorts/ZdErL...

Jenin Camp has endured continuous destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes, since July 2023, with many families already repeatedly displaced. The mass demolitions conducted as part of Israeli Security Forces operation ‘Iron Wall’ have taken this destruction to a new level.

Settlements are illegal under international law. Israel as the occupying power has a duty to protect these communities from settler violence and to hold perpetrators accountable. The demolitions of private property must be halted and the trend of forcible displacement stopped.

Also, Palestinian communities in the nearby ‘Firing Zone 918’ are facing displacement, affecting 200 households with 1,200 people including 500 children. Bedouin and herder communities who have existed for generations on these lands must be guaranteed their right to live in dignity and safety.

This reflects a broader trend in the #WestBank of land confiscations, and rampant settler violence with impunity, resulting in coercive conditions raising concerns of #ForcibleTransfer. Communities like Umm al Kheir and others in Masafer Yatta are at imminent risk of #ForcedDisplacement.

Umm al Kheir is located immediately next to the Israeli settlement of Carmel. In the past days, tensions have mounted. Armed settlers have been entering the community during the day and at night, damaging property and attempting to extend the fence of the settlement deep into Umm al Kheir’s land.