31 December '12..
UNRWA stands for the "United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East."
In the early days of UNRWA in the 1950s, a large part of its mandate was to work with Middle Eastern nations to find jobs for the refugees, the "Works" part of its title. UNRWA worked on some projects to build roads in Jordan and to create and market small handicrafts in 1950; and in 1953 they created a farming cooperative in Jordan for the refugees. In general, however, Arab nations did not support these works programs because they did not want to do anything to make the Palestinian Arab population permanent residents in their countries.
The refugees themselves also showed little interest in the programs because they were already getting free housing, medical aid, food and education from UNRWA.
By the late 1950s, UNRWA all but abandoned their attempts at finding decent, honorable work for the refugees, and the "W" in its name became anachronistic.
However, one accidental works program has become a "success," and that is employment at UNRWA itself.
Some 99% of UNRWA employees are Palestinian Arabs themselves, meaning that UNRWA employs about 29,000 Palestinian Arabs. The employees and their families do not regard these jobs as normal work; rather they regard them as yet another entitlement that the West owes them.
Which is why when UNRWA announced it would not be renewing the contracts of some workers, the camps are in a virtual uprising.
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