Date: 23/1/2026
At the invitation of the Higher Committee for the Follow-up of UNRWA Affairs, under the reference of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and with the participation of the Department of Refugee Affairs, a large-scale mass rally was held this morning in front of the headquarters of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The rally aimed to defend the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), protect its legal mandate, reaffirm the right of Palestinian refugees to its essential services, and stress the responsibility of the international community to fund the Agency and safeguard it from attempts to target or dismantle it.
The rally was attended by the leadership of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), cadres of the PLO’s Department of Refugee Affairs, PLO factions, Palestinian and Lebanese national and Islamic forces and parties, popular committees, unions and syndicates, civil society organizations, and social institutions, in addition to large crowds of members of the Palestinian community in Lebanon.
During the rally, Palestinian flags were raised, along with banners affirming adherence to UNRWA as a political and legal witness to the crime of uprooting the Palestinian people from their land, and rejecting all attempts to abolish the Agency or replace it with alternative frameworks.
As part of the rally, the Secretary of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) in Lebanon, Dr. Riyad Abu Al-Ainin, delivered the official protest memorandum on behalf of the protesting Palestinian refugees in front of the ESCWA headquarters. The memorandum was subsequently handed over to the United Nations Representative in Lebanon.
The memorandum emphasized that UNRWA is not an emergency relief institution, but rather a United Nations agency with a clear and defined mandate pursuant to UN General Assembly Resolution 302 of 1949, until a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian refugee issue is achieved in accordance with Resolution 194. It placed full responsibility on the international community to fund the Agency and ensure the continuation of its work without political blackmail.
The memorandum stressed that the recurring financial deficit suffered by the Agency directly affects the health, education, and relief services provided to millions of refugees, considering any failure in this regard a blatant violation of international law and a direct infringement of fundamental human rights.
It also condemned the repeated attacks carried out by the Zionist entity against UNRWA facilities and staff, the targeting of employees while performing their humanitarian duties, the confiscation of their property, and the obstruction of their work, particularly in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem. These practices were described as crimes and serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Furthermore, the memorandum rejected the recent administrative decisions issued by the UNRWA Commissioner-General, which included salary reductions and cuts to working hours, considering them an infringement on workers’ rights and a shifting of the burden of the financial crisis onto employees instead of holding the international community accountable for its legal and moral responsibilities.
The memorandum concluded by affirming that the continued political, financial, and security targeting of UNRWA constitutes a direct attack on the Palestinian refugee cause and an attempt to liquidate one of the most critical files of the conflict. It called on the United Nations to protect the Agency, ensure sustainable funding, halt any measures that undermine the rights of its staff or its role, and confront attempts to abolish it or undermine its mandate.
This rally comes as part of a broad popular and national movement affirming that the right of Palestinian refugees to UNRWA is a firm legal right that is non-negotiable, inalienable, and not subject to expiration
