Date: January 28, 2026
* PLO to confront the most dangerous plot aimed at dismantling UNRWA.
* Total rejection of replacing UNRWA or downsizing its mandate under any pretext.
* Supporting UNRWA is the sole path; no legitimacy for alternative institutions.
* Rejection of the UNRWA Commissioner-General’s recent decisions and a call for their immediate reversal.
* Rejection of restricting UNRWA to symbolic roles as a mere "custodian of rights" according to the Ian Martin report.
RAMALLAH – The Department of Refugee Affairs of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), in coordination with the Popular Service Committees in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem camps, held an expanded meeting in Ramallah to discuss the existential challenges facing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The meeting addressed the systematic liquidation plots and political attacks led by the occupation state to smear the Agency’s image. Discussions also focused on the repercussions of recent decisions by Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, including the mass dismissal of 560 employees forcibly displaced to Egypt due to the ongoing genocide, the privatization of the security department (impacting 20 staff members), and a 20% salary and working-hour reduction.
Unprecedented Financial Crisis
Dr. Ahmed Abu Houli, Member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Refugee Affairs Department, stated that UNRWA is facing its most dangerous financial crisis yet. The 2026 budget deficit has reached $384 million, representing 40% of the total $959 million core budget. This shortfall persists despite the "New York Declaration" of September 2025 and the ICJ’s advisory opinion in November 2025, which mandated the occupation's cooperation with the Agency and respected its immunities.
"Iron Wall" Operation and Forced Displacement
Dr. Abu Houli highlighted the brutal military aggression in the northern West Bank under the "Iron Wall" operation. He explained that the systematic destruction of infrastructure aims to render the camps uninhabitable, facilitating the field-level erasure of the "Right of Return."
He revealed that the occupation’s conditions for withdrawing from northern camps—including banning UNRWA activities and political engagement—are a direct extension of forced displacement and the plan to annex the West Bank, mirroring the total destruction of Gaza’s refugee camps.
The Ian Martin Report and Strategic Threats
Dr. Abu Houli warned that recent measures—salary cuts, mass layoffs, and privatization—are the practical implementation of the June 2025 Strategic Assessment (Ian Martin Report). He asserted that this report aims to hollow out the Agency’s mandate and transfer its duties to international organizations or host countries, in violation of UN Resolution 302, reducing UNRWA to a mere "registrar of legal identity."
Final Resolutions of the Meeting:
* Immediate Reversal: The attendees formally rejected the Commissioner-General's decisions regarding layoffs and salary cuts, calling for an immediate return to dialogue with staff unions.
* No Substitutes: The meeting emphasized a unified national stance: the State of Palestine and its national institutions will not bear additional burdens or play "substitute roles" for UNRWA.
* Rejection of Alternative Organizations: Attendees warned against international organizations attempting to impose themselves as alternatives for essential services, viewing this as a threat to the Agency’s legal existence.
* Direct Funding Only: All international delegations were informed that support must be directed strictly to UNRWA’s budget to prevent the creation of parallel structures that weaken its political status as a witness to the Nakba.
The meeting concluded with a call to intensify popular and official efforts to protect UNRWA's mandate, defend the rights of its employees, and mobilize international support for sustainable funding to ensure the "Right of Return" and the preservation of the national identity of Palestinian refugees.
