Hundreds of Palestinian refugees participated in a massive demonstration in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon, southern Lebanon, on Friday. The march, organized under the banner of “Anger and Dignity,” was held to protest service reductions by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), defend employee rights, and reaffirm the right of return while rejecting displacement and resettlement plans.
The event saw broad participation from political and civil society figures, including leaders of various factions and Lebanese and Palestinian national and Islamic forces. The procession was led by Youssef Ahmad, the official of the Democratic Front in Lebanon, and Nassif Issa, representative of Lebanese MP Dr. Osama Saad and member of the General Secretariat of the Nasserist Organization. Participants marched through the camp’s streets carrying banners and chanting slogans demanding sustained funding for UNRWA, an end to service cuts, and improved services, before concluding at the UNRWA clinic located within the camp.
Youssef Ahmad, a member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front, described the march as a cry of anger against any interference with UNRWA, which he termed the international witness to the Nakba. He emphasized that funding is an international obligation rather than conditional aid. Ahmad warned of catastrophic consequences resulting from reductions in healthcare, education, reconstruction services, and threats to dismiss staff. He called on the Palestine Liberation Organization to activate its mobilization efforts to establish a national plan to protect the agency.
Furthermore, Ahmad urged the Lebanese state to recognize the human rights of refugees, specifically highlighting the rights to work and property ownership. He advocated for opening a comprehensive Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue and strengthening Palestinian unity to enhance joint efforts in protecting camps. On his part, Nassif Issa conveyed greetings from MP Osama Saad, affirming support for the just rights of the Palestinian people and their struggle for return and a decent life. Issa stressed the necessity of protecting UNRWA and countering service reductions that exacerbate the living and health hardships faced by refugees. He viewed the agency’s continuation as an obligation upon the international community until the implementation of UN Resolution 194, reiterating demands for recognizing refugees’ human rights to bolster resilience and foil resettlement plots.
This demonstration occurs amidst a deepening financial and political crisis facing UNRWA, caused by reduced contributions from donor states. This has led to sharp declines in health, education, and relief services, alongside threats to employees’ rights and job security. These cuts intersect with the difficult socioeconomic reality of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, who are denied basic rights such as employment and property ownership, intensifying public and political fears that these measures may precede the liquidation of the refugee issue and the abandonment of the right of return in favor of displacement and resettlement projects.
