I mentioned last month that there were protests in Lebanese camps against UNRWA, partially because of a rumor that UNRWA was changing its name as a precursor to reducing its services in a new mandate that would encourage resettlement of Palestinian Arabs outside Israel.
I could not find any verification of any name change or change in UNRWA's mandate.
But that didn't stop Hamas from pouncing on that same rumor. On Tuesday, the Hamas Department of Refugees echoed the same rumor, accusing UNRWA of plotting to actually solve the problem of stateless Palestinian Arabs rather than prolonging it the way it has done so well, and the way that every Arab leader wants it to continue. At Hamas' urging, there were protests outside UNRWA headquarters in Gaza.
UNRWA finally released a statement today denying any change in its name or mandate.
Now millions of "refugees," many in camps with UNRWA services, can rest easy, knowing that they will never become normal citizens in the Arab countries that they were born in and will likely die in. They will remain second-class citizens, derided and discriminated against, subject to the whim of the leaders of the countries they live in.
Victory!
