Bethlehem/PNN/

The Palestinian Liberation Organization's Department of Refugee Affairs has completed new projects benefiting a wide segment of Palestinian refugees in camps and communities in Lebanon, thanks to a grant from President Mahmoud Abbas.

 Head of the Refugee Affairs Department in the PLO Dr. Ahmad Abu Holi stated that the completed projects included camps in Nahr al-Bared, Ain al-Hilweh, and al-Baddawi, as well as the Qasmiyah community in southern Lebanon, all of which serve to ease the suffering of residents.

He added that the projects were carried out in response to requests from popular committees and refugees, the most notable of which was the reconstruction of the "condolences umbrella" in the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon, which benefits all Palestinian families residing in the camp, as well as the Lebanese neighbors. In addition, the department provided a generator to the "Talat al-Mankoubin" neighborhood in the al-Baddawi camp to power the water pump in the area, to solve the chronic and worsening water crisis affecting the 200 Palestinian refugee families living there, who do not receive services from UNRWA, which does not consider the neighborhood within its jurisdiction.

In the Qasmiyah community in southern Lebanon, Dr. Abu Holi explained that the problem of missing sewage covers ("Rigarat") on the roads leading to the neighboring school had been resolved and the worn-out covers had been replaced. He pointed out that addressing this issue has facilitated students' access to the school. In addition, the department supported kindergartens in the Jaleel camp by providing 800 liters of diesel fuel to heat the classrooms in winter, and built a "center tent" for the physical therapy center at the Humshari hospital to protect the equipment from environmental factors and weather.

Dr. Abu Holi continued: “The Department of Refugee Affairs has completed the rehabilitation project for the Al-Tireh neighborhood network in the Ain al-Hilweh camp, as well as the maintenance of the main power line in the upper street by replacing 3 worn-out lines measuring 1600 meters with new ones. The department also contributed to the removal of waste from Palestinian communities in the Sidon area.”

Dr. Abu Holi affirmed that the Department of Refugee Affairs is committed to implementing its strategy in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, which aims to alleviate their suffering and enhance their resilience by addressing the problems of the camps and responding to their needs.

He pointed out that there is a package of projects submitted by popular committees in Lebanese camps that are currently under study by the projects committee, and work will begin on them as soon as the committee completes its technical review. He stressed that the department will not leave Palestinian refugees alone in the face of the economic crisis plaguing Lebanon, and will remain a factor of support and assistance in overcoming their difficult living conditions and for their legitimate rights to return to their homeland from which they were displaced in 1948 according to resolution 194.

The director of the Department of Refugee Affairs in Lebanon, Jamal Fayyad, and the secretary-general of the popular committees in the Lebanese camps, engineer Abdul Moneim Awad, and the technical team of the department accompanied by secretaries and members of the popular committees in the al-Baddawi, Ain al-Hilweh, and Nahr al-Bared camps oversaw the implementation and follow-up of the projects.

The popular committees in the three camps thanked the President of the State of Palestine, President Mahmoud Abbas, for his support and sponsorship of Palestinian camps in Lebanon. They also thanked the Department of Refugee Affairs and its president, Dr. Ahmad Abu Holi, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the Palestinian ambassador to Lebanon, Ashraf Dabbour, for their prompt response to their needs, addressing their problems, and their continuous communication with the committees through their office director in Lebanon, Jamal Fayyad.

The residents of the Ain al-Hilweh, Nahr al-Bared, al-Baddawi, Talat al-Mankoubin, Qasmiyah, and Sidon communities expressed their sincere gratitude to President Mahmoud Abbas, Dr. Abu Holi, and Ambassador Dabbour for their interest in improving their living conditions and for their support through completed and ongoing projects, urgent interventions, and tangible contributions to Palestinian camps and communities in Lebanon.