After the 7th of October, Palestinians living under UNRWA’s five areas of operations (Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan) face unprecedented risks.
Not only are their lives being threatened by daily shelling and attacks in Gaza – more than 30,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel’s war, including 13,000 children – but their most fundamental rights to enjoy asylum are also at stake.
“If Israel succeeds in opening the borders to Egypt, massive displacement can become real with secondary influx to Libya and to Europe,” Lex Takkenberg, advisor with the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) and non-resident professor at Fordham University, told The New Arab.
According to him, the potential scale of displacement could be bigger than the 2015 crisis – when millions of Syrians escaping the war sought refuge in neighboring countries and in Europe.
“The EU should be mindful that in this case we are talking about five areas of origin where UNRWA has operations. Even in Jordan stability would be at risk,” Takkenberg added…..more
