Despair, trauma, and discontent among Nahr al-Bared's impoverished Palestinians as a result of their own stupidity, illiteracy, ignorance, and irresponsibility; and the Arabs’ coarse and callous indifference

Gleaned from: IRIN/Plus-News Tuesday 30^th September 2008

Nahr Al-Bared, Lebanon – Daniel: First, read my postings: 366 and then 22 / 169 / 177 / 281 / 283 / 286 / 305 and 289 – either before or during; and in that order, if you please.

They look like cargo containers and crates: long lines of prefabricated steel units, stacked two high, set on the edge of the ruined Nahr al-Bared Palestinian Refugee Camp in northern Lebanon. Inside each airless 18-square-metre unit there is a toilet, a gas burner and tatty mattresses on the bare wooden floor. This is the bedroom-bathroom-and-kitchen unit for Palestinian families whose home in Nahr al-Bared was destroyed in last summer's battle between the army and Islamist militants – Daniel: Why tatty mattresses? With all the funds that poured in, not brand new or even second-hand mattresses, but tatty ones? By the way, I know you know I know you know, but tatty means shabby, worn, and frayed. That’s the UN and its affiliates for you. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the whole UN – from A to Z – are like Child-sponsorship Organisations and other such despicable and base groups

A 55-year-old Palestinian woman complained to that all she did was fight all day with the neighbours above over the water that spills down into her room where she lived with her four young children – Daniel: So! The Palestinian refugees have water and electricity daily and/or regularly, and which they do not pay for. The average decent Lebanese citizens have no water or electricity almost all the time, and which they pay for through their noses; twice! She had backaches from sleeping on the floor. Her dustman-husband for the UN's Palestinian relief organisation, UNRWA, has two other wives with children (not KIDS?), so he’s only able to give her around US$150 a month. Food comes from UNRWA handouts and donations from the Lebanese Future Movement’s leader. Daniel again: Three wives, and so many children! I’m willing to bet a bent buffalo nickel dipped in shit that not all the children are his! It’s obvious! Not all of us are Etc and so forth and so on

Along the dark, dank corridor and up some steps, a 19-year-old Lebanese who married a Palestinian from Nahr al-Bared, shows us the room where she is raising her young family – Daniel: How many kids, or little goats? Hey! Don’t look at me! That’s what the Americans – and all those that would emulate them – call their children! She said they used to have a private kitchen and bathroom; now it's all in the same room, and pointed out the cockroaches scuttling into the cracks in the wooden floor beneath her makeshift sink. Flies buzz around at the stench of sewage seeping from the floor.

Food aid and rental subsidies under threat

Life for these 300 Palestinian families and their thousands of other kinsmen, displaced from Nahr al-Bared – some for the third time in their lives – might get a lot worse very soon; in large part due to the neglect of the region's Arab states.

The UNRWA has warned that unless its flash appeal for $43 million for emergency – to pocket, more likely – humanitarian assistance is met soon the agency will be forced by the end of October to stop distributing food aid to 3,100 families and halt rental subsidies supporting 27,000 Palestinians displaced from Nahr al-Bared – Daniel: Dear readers and fellow-Apes; no comments, out of respect for your intelligence…

So far only the USA has come forward with emergency funds, donating $4.3 million for shelter, health and education, part of a total commitment this year of $23.5 million to the UNRWA reconstruction of Nahr al-Bared – Daniel: Poor USA; always the first to rush to help, and always the first to bear the brunt of the Arab’s and the rest of the world’s hatred and insults, but still always the first country they all look to and turn to.

In June, UNRWA said it needed $445 million to rebuild the refugee camp – both the New Camp, which sustained heavy damage, and the original smaller Old Camp which was completely destroyed. Daniel: Guess what percentage of the $445 million will be spent on the Palestinian refugees!? 25 to 35%; you guessed right; probably less.
Little Arab financial support for UNRWA

Daniel: Good for them, since they know what the UNRWA does with the money

So far UNRWA has received $70 million; 88% ($62 million) from Western donations which also make up 90% of the funds pledged for short-term relief. To date, no Arab governments have pledged – let alone donate – to the long-term reconstruction of the camp, the largest single project in UNRWA history.

A Palestinian Female Human-Ape representative at the European Union, in a recent editorial, said that, sadly, that was the usual pattern. Luxembourg donates more to UNRWA regular budgets than any Arab government, while Norway gives more to the same budget annually than all Arab governments combined.

In a bid to highlight the plight of the Palestinians displaced from Nahr al-Bared, UNRWA last week organised a rare tour to areas of the new camp. The last visit to the camp by IRIN was in December.

Despair and trauma

Though many aspects of normal life, such as vegetable shops, internet cafes and functioning electricity cables, had returned to some areas of the new camp – the old camp remains off limits – the emotional scars among the population appear to run as deep as the physical scars on the camp.

The chief medical officer for the camp, and head of one of two new health clinics opened by UNRWA since November – Daniel: Gratis? Don’t bet on it. Nothing is free, except death – said that depression, aggression, and despair had increased.

The clinic treats some 180 patients a day, many with skin diseases from the dust clouds that blow from the rubble of the camp; UNRWA provides 100% of the medication for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, rather than its usual commitment of 50%. Daniel: I’m willing to bet another bent buffalo nickel dipped in shit that the medications are free – donated by pharmaceutical companies; but only because their expiry dates are almost due, otherwise UNRWA would sell them to the Palestinians or to pharmacies.

The spokes-woman for the Children and Youth Centre (CYC), a kindergarten funded by an Italian non-governmental organisation, and Save the Children, said many of the young children aged 5-8 they hosted had displayed signs of trauma. She also said that after the nightmare of Nahr al-Bared, kids walked barefooted through the streets. When they came to the clinic, all were scared and some would prefer to be alone. But they were helped to overcome their fear through communal games and celebrating the good things in life – Daniel: Trust the Americans to call children little goats – that is what kids mean: little goats; whether you like it or not! Most Little Goats or Kids in Palestinian Refugee Camps have always walked bare-footed. Also, the CYC Female Human-Ape spokeswoman spoke about these little goats as if they were imposed upon or forced on the Palestinians; they fornicated and had those little goats; and in a camp that was supposed to be – was meant to be – a temporary shelter; for crying out loud!

Discontent

The Male-Ape spokesman for the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian Popular Committee said discontent has grown among Palestinians who have returned to live in the new camp. The army doesn't care about anyone. People are harassed at checkpoints daily – Daniel: What do they expect? Lebanese soldiers were slaughtered like sheep by elements from this very same camp!

Reconstruction is very slow, and UNRWA has promised to remove the rubble in the old camp five times now. UNRWA says rubble removal in the old camp is due to begin at the end of the first week of October – Daniel: Promises! Promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.

Palestinians tenants live in make-shift container-homes and have to pay $200 a month as rent – Daniel: So UNRWA spends the aid-funds in providing sardine-tin-homes for them but gets the money back as rent!? I’m not surprised. Are any of my fellow-Apes out there surprised? How naïve!

I watched a video-clip – on Biased and Bi-Assed Aljazeera, where else – in which a Palestinian guy said that even chickens needed a square metre of space each to live – Daniel: Yes; but chickens do not stay long; they are sold and/or cooked and eaten. Also, the make-shift homes were made as temporary shelters, and for people who will curb their irresponsible sexual urges to fornicate and have babies like rabbits, and their indifferent attitudes toward their offspring, until better houses or shelters have been provided. But no; give them food to eat and a place to sleep and they start the baby-production factories going full-blast, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 52 weeks a year.