The Emperor

Mr. Trump,  who on earth appointed you the Emperor of the universe as to think you can undo treaties, cancel UN resolutions, and impose sanctions on countries all over the world.

Ever since you took office you have been handling matters according to your whims and wishes antagonizing people and regimes, whereby the whole world seems to be in a big mess, and on the verge of a war, here and there.  

Because you have the power and money, you think you can get away with all this.  The day will come when all your actions will boomerang, and your own people might be the first to raise their voice against your actions.  Let alone all other countries whose destiny you have been meddling with.  

As  a Palestinian, I ask you what right do you have to cancel the UN resolution regarding the “right of  return of the Palestinians,” and the money allocated by the UN to UNRWA which was established as a temporary organization until the Palestinian refugees would be able to go back to their homes.  You are morally and financially obligated to see to it that those refugees are granted their right.  And until that happens you are still obligated to fund UNRWA because it is the veto power of the US used along the years that  has been the reason  behind  the failure of the implementation of UN resolutions that would  redress the grave injustice inflicted upon the Palestinians in 1948 as well as in 1967.  

You are dealing with issues with the principle of MIGHT is RIGHT.  We are no more in a jungle Mr. Trump.  There are rules and regulations, and an international law that governs actions of governments.  If you want the law of the jungle to prevail, then wake up, because that law will not spare anybody,  and the emperor will eventually be exposed  "as naked as can be" (according to  Hans Christian Andersen)

Why a cultural Centre?

A few days ago Israel bombarded the Mishal  cultural centre in Gaza destroying it completely.  Why?  This centre has been the gift of Said Meshal to the youth of Gaza to help them cope with all the pressure of living under  siege for the last twelve years.  It is neither a Hamas nor a Fateh Centre.  In fact there is an Egyptian cultural centre in the building.  Ironic indeed when Egypthas been  trying  to mediate some sort of  a long term truce “Hudna” between Israel and Hamas.  

Is it not enough that those young people as well as all the people of Gaza are deprived of a normal life, that it was too much for Israel to see them enjoying some fun with music art, and drama.   Once again, I cannot help but see the irony of it when at the same time Israel is asking that help to UNRWA in Gaza should not be curtailed because it will make life  for  the people of Gaza much worse.  

Indeed it will,  and so will the demolition of a cultural Centre that was supposed to lift up the spirit of the youth,  and engage them with activities that are normal to all children of the world ?  

UNRWA laying off its staff

I have written more than once on the UNRWA crisis, but this time UNRWA is laying off its staff and is causing a great deal of concern within the Palestinian community.  The financial situation, especially in Gaza has been deteriorating so badly  that the last thing this besieged area could deal with is the cutting of UNRWA  services and laying off its staff.  

When UNRWA was established in December 1949,  it was established as a temporary relief agency for the Palestinian refugees who,  in 1948, were driven out of their homes at gun point, or fled  for their lives, when the state of Israel was established on Palestinian land . 

Why was it temporary?  Because a year earlier, and in December 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 194  allowing  all Palestinian refugees to return to their homes.  Israel which planned that exodus in the first place, was determined not to allow the Palestinians to go back to their homes and in no time it started destroying villages and occupying  Palestinian homes to settle Jewish families in them,   so  that a new reality would hinder any return of the Palestinians.   Even the Palestinians who stayed in the newly established state and had been evicted to another area of Israel, were not allowed to go back to their homes.  

The failure of the UN to implement that resolution, and to link it with the  acceptance of Israel as a member state, is the root cause of the crisis that UNRWA is facing at the moment.  

Instead of exerting its effort on a political solution for  the refugees,  the UN  member states who supported UNRWA kept  raising funds and supporting the budget, and supporting the salaries of their representative staff working with UNRWA, without any financial support from Israel itself which was basically responsible for the refugee problem.  

Undoubtedly the Palestinians have been grateful for this support which sustained them for a long time.  However,  they  would have been much more grateful had the UN taken a legal and moral approach to the refugee problem and worked  towards their return  instead of draining their budgets year after year on services that are now being  curtailed  for financial reasons.  

Of course one  of the main reasons that the UN could never implement resolution 194 was the veto power of the US, and its blind support of Israel  which did not even oblige Israel to be morally and financially responsible for the refugee problem.   Furthermore, the US has exacerbated the financial crisis by withdrawing its commitment to UNRWA.  How ironic indeed.  As I mentioned earlier in an open letter  to Mr. Trump.  “ We are not requesting charity, we are demanding our rights.  And that is why the UN is legally and  morally obligated to set the record straight, and to keep supporting the work of UNRWA until it implements a just solution to the refugee problem.