News
Latest News
news bulletin
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Other News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Beirut
19
o
Mount Lebanon
20
o
Metn
20
o
Keserwan
20
o
North
20
o
South
19
o
Bekaa
13
o
Live
Video
Audio
Schedule
shows
العربية
watching now
Sports
SUBSCRIBE
Home
Notification
Live
Video
Audio
shows
Beirut
19
o
Mount Lebanon
20
o
Metn
20
o
Keserwan
20
o
North
20
o
South
19
o
Bekaa
13
o
News
Programs
The News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Programs
Documentaries
Lebanon’s Centennial
News Bulletin
The Untold History
Talk Show
Series
Sports
Variety
Other
Comedy
Oldies
Breaking News
Latest News
Highlighted News
Most Read
Videos
العربية
Watch the latest programs and the latest developments on your favorite screen
Shows
Join millions of followers
Who We Are
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Careers
Channel frequencies
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Palestinians wary as UN may not open schools in time
Breaking Headlines
2018-08-15 | 09:36
High views
Share
Share
Palestinians wary as UN may not open schools in time
Watch now
More details about online video viewing packages
4
min
Palestinians wary as UN may not open schools in time
The United Nations agency dealing with Palestinian refugees may not be able to open schools for half a million children because it has run out of money since the United States cut its funding, U.N. officials say.
UNRWA already faces what it described as a “very tense” situation in Gaza after job cuts drew protests by its own employees, leaving some senior staff unable to work in their offices.
Some fear for the survival of the agency, which this month must decide whether it can open its network of schools across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon for the coming academic year.
U.N. officials say that aid cuts by the United States, the single largest donor to UNRWA, were a major cause of the crisis.
In January, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would scale back aid to the Palestinians unless they cooperate with his plans to revive peacemaking with Israel. Those peace efforts stalled in 2014.
“The actions that we are now seeing are consequences of the decision by the Trump administration to withhold $305 million for UNRWA this year, so whether it is political or not it has catastrophic implications and consequences for us on the ground,” said UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness, who described the situation as “catastrophic” and unprecedented.
Palestinian families, children and teachers said they were worried about whether schools will open at the end of August.
In the Israeli occupied West Bank, Reem Nakhla's children attend an UNRWA school in Jalazone refugee camp. In June staff and pupils were thrilled to be visited by Britain's Prince William during his tour of Israel and the West Bank. But now there is confusion outside the school gates.
“Of course I am worried, I think about where should I send them,” said Nakhla. “The UNRWA school is a big help to people,” she added. “Our situation in the camp is very difficult.”
UNRWA was founded in 1949 in the aftermath of the first Arab-Israel war.
That conflict saw 700,000 Palestinians forced to leave their homes or flee. UNRWA now helps around 5 million Palestinian refugees, who include descendants of those displaced by the fighting nearly 70 years ago.
Funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from U.N. member states, the United States has long been its largest donor. But officials say that after the Trump administration slashed its contribution, UNRWA now needs more than $200 million from other donors to cover its deficit.
In January Trump tweeted “we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don't even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel.”
The U.S. State Department has said the agency needed to make unspecified reforms.
Israel has accused UNRWA of favoring Palestinians, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Trump's decision to cut funding. “This is how to rid the world of UNRWA and deal with genuine refugee problems, to the extent that such remain,” he said in January.
In Gaza, Amal Al-Batsh, deputy chairman of the union of Palestinian employees at UNRWA, feared that the United States was targeting UNRWA's existence “not as an institution but as a symbol and a witness to the issue of Palestinian refugees.”
President Mahmoud Abbas's Western-backed Fatah faction said the Palestinian leader would seek donations for UNRWA at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly meeting in September.
REUTERS
To watch the full report, please click on the video above.
Breaking Headlines
Palestine
UNRWA
Schools
Students
Next
Grand Mufti Derian travels to Saudi Arabia for Hajj
Recommended For You
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
2024-04-17
Israeli warplanes strike agricultural land near Baalbek: Three missiles launched
Lebanon News
2024-04-17
Israeli warplanes strike agricultural land near Baalbek: Three missiles launched
0
Middle East News
2024-04-16
Israeli army detects missile launches from Lebanon
Middle East News
2024-04-16
Israeli army detects missile launches from Lebanon
0
Lebanon News
2024-04-16
Breaking: Car targeted on Al-Majbal road in Ain Baal
Lebanon News
2024-04-16
Breaking: Car targeted on Al-Majbal road in Ain Baal
0
Middle East News
2024-04-15
Israeli response to Iranian attack expected soon: Israeli Broadcasting Corporation
Middle East News
2024-04-15
Israeli response to Iranian attack expected soon: Israeli Broadcasting Corporation
Subscribe to our VOD
SUBSCRIBE
Our visitors readings
d-none hideMe
0
Middle East News
07:20
Lufthansa extends suspension of flights to Tehran and Beirut until April 30: AFP
Middle East News
07:20
Lufthansa extends suspension of flights to Tehran and Beirut until April 30: AFP
0
World News
11:29
NATO Secretary-General to G7: Kyiv urgently needs air defenses
World News
11:29
NATO Secretary-General to G7: Kyiv urgently needs air defenses
0
News Bulletin Reports
2024-02-21
Rising costs: An in-depth look at fee hikes in Vehicle Registration Center (Nefaa) services
News Bulletin Reports
2024-02-21
Rising costs: An in-depth look at fee hikes in Vehicle Registration Center (Nefaa) services
0
News Bulletin Reports
2023-08-27
US Commerce Secretary's complex mission: Balancing trade with China amidst restrictions
News Bulletin Reports
2023-08-27
US Commerce Secretary's complex mission: Balancing trade with China amidst restrictions
Videos
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
2023-12-11
Breaking: Israel launches raid north of Litani on Monday (Video)
Lebanon News
2023-12-11
Breaking: Israel launches raid north of Litani on Monday (Video)
0
Lebanon News
2023-11-02
Exclusive to LBCI: U.S. State Department's Wooster Stresses Lebanon Must Avoid War, Sees Renewed Push for Two-State Solution
Lebanon News
2023-11-02
Exclusive to LBCI: U.S. State Department's Wooster Stresses Lebanon Must Avoid War, Sees Renewed Push for Two-State Solution
0
Lebanon News
2023-10-18
Protests Erupt near US Embassy in Awkar Against Israeli Attacks on Al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza
Lebanon News
2023-10-18
Protests Erupt near US Embassy in Awkar Against Israeli Attacks on Al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza
0
Lebanon News
2023-10-05
ATFL's Ambassador Edward Gabriel on Navigating Through Economic, Political, and Refugee Crises
Lebanon News
2023-10-05
ATFL's Ambassador Edward Gabriel on Navigating Through Economic, Political, and Refugee Crises
0
Sports News
2023-08-31
Amir Saoud Powers Lebanon to Victory Over Cote d'Ivoire: A Deep Dive Into The Numbers
Sports News
2023-08-31
Amir Saoud Powers Lebanon to Victory Over Cote d'Ivoire: A Deep Dive Into The Numbers
0
Sports News
2023-08-29
France Edges Past Lebanon in a Nail-Biter at FIBA World Cup 2023: A Statistical Deep Dive
Sports News
2023-08-29
France Edges Past Lebanon in a Nail-Biter at FIBA World Cup 2023: A Statistical Deep Dive
0
Lebanon News
2019-02-28
Pierre el-Daher, the man who defeated the Lebanese Forces
Lebanon News
2019-02-28
Pierre el-Daher, the man who defeated the Lebanese Forces
Most read
d-none hideMe
24 hours
7 days
Month
1
Lebanon News
00:18
Phosphorus shelling hit outskirts of Khiam, southern Lebanon
Lebanon News
00:18
Phosphorus shelling hit outskirts of Khiam, southern Lebanon
2
Lebanon Economy
08:30
BDL initiates measures to promote electronic payments and reduce cash use
Lebanon Economy
08:30
BDL initiates measures to promote electronic payments and reduce cash use
3
Lebanon News
07:48
Video: LBCI's 'Marhaba Dawle' producer hands over props following legal battle
Lebanon News
07:48
Video: LBCI's 'Marhaba Dawle' producer hands over props following legal battle
4
Middle East News
00:56
Israel considered 'swift' retaliatory strikes against Iran: Reports
Middle East News
00:56
Israel considered 'swift' retaliatory strikes against Iran: Reports
5
Middle East News
07:20
Lufthansa extends suspension of flights to Tehran and Beirut until April 30: AFP
Middle East News
07:20
Lufthansa extends suspension of flights to Tehran and Beirut until April 30: AFP
6
Lebanon News
09:35
Élysée Palace: Macron to receive Lebanese Prime Minister and Army Commander on Friday
Lebanon News
09:35
Élysée Palace: Macron to receive Lebanese Prime Minister and Army Commander on Friday
7
Lebanon News
06:06
UNIFIL spokesperson affirms: Peacekeeping operations and civilian staff continue duties
Lebanon News
06:06
UNIFIL spokesperson affirms: Peacekeeping operations and civilian staff continue duties
8
News Bulletin Reports
12:08
US-Israel Agreement: Rafah Invasion Planned, Limited Response to Iran
News Bulletin Reports
12:08
US-Israel Agreement: Rafah Invasion Planned, Limited Response to Iran
Download now the LBCI mobile app
To see the latest news, the latest daily programs in Lebanon and the world
Google Play
App Store
We use
cookies
We use
cookies
to make
your experience on this
website better.
Accept
Learn More