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UN Palestinian Refugee Agency Urges West Bank Workers to End Strike

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Amman, Jordan November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni/File Photo
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Amman, Jordan November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni/File Photo
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UN Palestinian Refugee Agency Urges West Bank Workers to End Strike

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Amman, Jordan November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni/File Photo
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Amman, Jordan November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni/File Photo

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency on Wednesday called on the West Bank local staff union to end a strike, saying the stoppage was hindering access for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees to basic services.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said the West Bank Area Staff Union (ASU) had issued threats and intimidated employees who were trying to work despite the strike. The head of the union denied the accusation, Reuters reported.

"UNRWA calls on the ASU to end the strike and to stop intimidating those colleagues who are working to deliver services to the communities in line with the United Nations values," it said in a statement.

"More than ever, we must strike the balance between the right to strike, the right to work and the right of Palestine refugees to access basic services."

Jamal Abdallah, head of the union representing workers paid by the agency in the West Bank, contested the agency's claim it was making threats, and pledged to continue striking until salary increase demands were met.

"We neither threatened nor forced anyone to go on strike and we didn't close any headquarters or institutions," he said.

UNRWA said that since West Bank local staff declared a strike in early March, many services to nearly 900,000 Palestine Refugees across the region had been suspended.

Established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, it provides public services including schools, primary healthcare and humanitarian aid in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

In January UNRWA appealed for $1.6 billion in funding after its head warned it was struggling to fulfill its mandate due to spiraling costs and shrinking resources.

It said the union was demanding a pay increase "even though the salaries are already above the pay policy and even though the Agency has no money to pay."

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Arab World

Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)

The Houthi militia has recently released several individuals it had abducted for celebrating Yemen’s September Revolution. However, over the past few days, it has detained hundreds of residents in its stronghold of Saada, accusing them of espionage.

The campaign coincides with the airing of alleged confessions from a purported spy cell and the abduction of a former employee of the US Embassy in Yemen.

Local sources in Saada province, approximately 242 kilometers north of Sanaa, report that the Houthis have launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting civilians. These individuals have been taken from their homes, workplaces, and businesses under allegations of collaborating with Western nations and Israel. Families of those detained have been warned to remain silent and refrain from discussing the arrests with the media or on social media platforms.

According to the sources, more than 300 individuals, including dozens of women, have been abducted across various districts in Saada. The arrests have also targeted relatives and associates of Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who hails from the region.

The sources suggest that the Houthis are detaining women as hostages to pressure their relatives, who may either be out of the militia’s reach or living outside Houthi-controlled areas. They also appear to be using the women to coerce confessions from male relatives. Last month, the Houthis accused Hamid Mujalli, Othman Mujalli’s brother, of engaging in espionage for Arab and Western nations for nearly two decades.

In a separate incident, the Houthis abducted a former employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa from his home on Monday without providing any explanation for their actions.

Release of Detainees

The Houthis recently released Sheikh Amin Rajeh, a tribal leader from Ibb province, after detaining him for four months. Several other individuals were also freed, none of whom had been formally charged during their detention. Rajeh, a member of the General People’s Congress Party, was one of many political activists, students, workers, and public employees abducted in September for celebrating Yemen’s September 26, 1962, revolution.

One of the released individuals, a shop owner, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was unaware of the reason for his detention. He had been abducted in November, two months after the Houthis initiated a crackdown on those commemorating the revolution.

Alleged Spy Cell

Houthi-controlled media recently broadcast confessions from what they claimed was a newly uncovered spy cell. The group linked the cell to its broader narrative of “promised conquest and sacred jihad” against the West and Israel.

According to Houthi security officials, the alleged spy cell was working to compile a “target database,” monitor sites linked to missile forces and drones, and track specific military and security locations. They also claimed the cell had been observing the residences and movements of Houthi leaders.

In response, the Houthis issued warnings to residents, forbidding them from discussing or sharing information about militia-controlled sites, facilities, or the whereabouts of their leaders.

The Houthis’ actions reflect mounting concerns over potential strikes targeting their senior leadership, similar to the recent attacks on Hezbollah figures in Lebanon. Those fears come amid ongoing tensions with Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, following the Houthis’ assaults on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Israel.