Translated by Sabrin Qadah

Ramallah – the member of the Central Committee of the Fatah movement D. Mohammed Shtayyeh discussed with  members of the Executive Office for Refugees in the West Bank the difficult humanitarian conditions experienced by refugees in the camps, during a meeting in his office in Ramallah on Thursday.

Shtayyeh stressed the importance and centrality of the refugee issue as one of the pillars of the Palestinian cause. The Palestinian leadership will not accept any political solution that does not address the issue of refugees as a priority to meet Palestinian rights and international legitimacy resolutions.

The meeting discussed reducing the services of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as a new challenge for refugees in the face of rising unemployment and poverty. The members of the Executive Office pointed out that the occupation strict measures on granting work permits to people of the camps worsens the situation.

For his part, D. Shtayyeh explained that there is a dialogue with UNRWA to discuss the issue of downsizing and said that it must be the title of camp administration and assistance.

The participants discussed the possibilities of implementing infrastructure projects to improve living conditions in the camps as well as operating projects and income-generating projects.