https://arab.news/4bz7d
The genocidal tendencies of the current Israeli government are well evidenced. But if there is one category of Palestinian that attracts premium focus in this bloody regard, it is the refugees. Israel has engaged in a forever war against them since 1948. Remember, while much of the media has ignored the issue, refugees constitute 70 percent of the Palestinian population.
For decades, overcrowded refugee camps have been magnets for Israeli aggression. In 1971, for example, Israel bulldozed 400 homes in Jabalia camp. All eight of Gaza’s official camps have been decimated during the past two years. And last week in Lebanon, Israeli forces bombed the Ain Al-Hilweh camp near Saida, killing 13 Palestinians. Refugee camps across the region have repeatedly borne the brunt of Israeli military operations.
Israel’s entrenched animus toward refugees is also why it has pursued an unrelenting campaign against UNRWA, the UN agency mandated to serve Palestinian refugees. As one Israeli official once told me, “It is not the work of UNRWA we hate. It is its mandate and mission.” That mandate — preserving the rights and status of refugees — runs directly counter to Israel’s long-term objectives. The campaign has succeeded: UNRWA cannot operate in Gaza and is barely functioning in the West Bank. Israel even forced the closure of the agency’s East Jerusalem headquarters.
