Why UNRWA, a lifeline for Palestinians, is struggling for survival in Lebanon

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is facing an existential crisis. A visit to the Burj al-Barajneh camp in Beirut shows how a political tug-of-war is playing out in the lives of the affected population. The health centre tucked away in the narrow alleys is not as run-down as the surrounding buildings, but it has certainly seen better days. This is where Palestinians can receive medical care. The centre is run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was established in 1949. Wafaa El Hajj, 55, has come to collect medicine for her elderly mother. “I don’t earn enough to buy it on the market,” says El Hajj, who works in the kindergarten’s administration. “Sometimes, they can help. Sometimes they cannot.” Palestinians are excluded from Lebanon’s healthcare system, and poverty rates in the community hover between 70% and 80%. Hence, UNRWA’s budget cuts have hit them particularly hard. El Hajj knows the consequences ...