Strike Continues In WB Refugee Camps Against UNRWA

Ramallah, 19 Rajab 1437/27 April 2016 (MINA) – The popular committees of the Palestinian refugee camps have continued to close their offices in the West Bank for the second consecutive day in protest at UNRWA’s decision to cancel its food distribution system.

Senior official of the committees Ibrahim Saqer said that the committees closed their offices in the West Bank camps on Monday as part of a three-day strike in protest at the UNRWA’s decision to replace its ration distribution system with a cash card system, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Saqer noted that the UNRWA social affairs offices, which are located at the same headquarters of the popular committees, were also closed for three days.

He said that the UNRWA decided to replace the food ration it distributes to the extremely poor families with a specified amount of cash taken through ATM cards. The committees fear that the agency’s decision to give aid recipients cash cards would jeopardize the jobs of dozens of employees who work at its distribution centers.

There are also fears that the UNRWA might not raise the purchasing value of these cash cards whenever there are commodity price hikes.(T/P008/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)