UN staff stop work in support of Palestinians

In a show of support for Palestinian refugees protesting against a cut in this year's budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency, the international organisation's 210 local staffers on September 7 observed an hour-long work stoppage.

The employees gathered in the car park of the building in Bir Hasan behind closed gates, while across the street a group of 200 Palestinians continued their sit-in performing their noon prayers on the sidewalk.

UNRWA's director, Lione Brisson, paid an early morning visit to the Palestinian demonstrators and told them that he shared their concern.

Abdul Salam Aql, UNRWA's information director, quoted Brisson as telling the refugees that the agency had no choice but to slash its budget by 7 million US dollars because donor nations were not meeting their financial commitments. The new budget is now 47.7 million US dollars.

Brisson urged about a dozen Palestinians staging a hunger strike since September 2 to end their action, before they collapse. At least six Palestinians were hospitalized earlier this week. But the demonstrators said they planned to maintain their daily protests.

The Palestinians stepped up their pressure campaign in recent days hopping to influence a crucial meeting on UNRWA's fate which is scheduled to be held on September 9 in Amman, the capital of Jordan. The meeting will comprise agency representatives as well as officials from countries hosting Palestinians refugees and donor nations.

Lebanon is home to 360,000 Palestinian refugees, the highest concentration of Palestinian refugees in any country.