What Is UNRWA – The United Nations Relief Works Agency?
What Is UNRWA – The United Nations Relief Works Agency?Israel expelled or forced the flight of some 700,000 Palestinians during and after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that included the formation of the state of Israel. Palestinians became refugees in Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. The United Nations established the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees (UNRPR) in November 1948, and pursuant to UN Resolution 302 on Dec. 8, 1949, established the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Answer: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which turned 60 in 2009, is Palestinian refugee’s primary support organization in education, health, housing and, when necessary, food assistance. UNRWA defines a Palestinian refugee as any person whose “normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.” Descendants of refugees are includ
