Under Israeli pressure, the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees risks disintegration

Squawking and jostling: at recess time, the schoolyard of the Jalazoun refugee camp resembles those around the world. But, from the roof, we see the Israeli settlement of Beit El. Here, it is protected by a concrete wall pierced by a narrow steel door. « This is where Israeli soldiers pass when they launch operations on the camp »explains Manar Bsharat, the UNRWA services manager for the refugee camp. It faces the entrance to the school.

In March, a 13-year-old student was killed there by the Israeli army. The young person’s face « martyr » is now reproduced in stencils on the walls of the camp. « An hour after his death, the army told us where the body was »says Manar Bsharat. She asks: « What will happen when we no longer have the right to communicate with Israelis ? » Like all UNRWA employees, she is worried…