Jordan's Palestinian refugees fearful after US slashes aid

Yahoo – AFP, Kamal Taha, September 2, 2018

Young Palestinian refugees wait outside an UNRWA school in Jordan's Baqaa
camp, north of Amman, on 2 september 2018 (AFP Photo/AHMAD ABDO)

Baqaa refugee camp (Jordan) (AFP) - US President Donald Trump's cut to funds for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has sparked fears in Jordan's largest refugee camp, where tens of thousands depend on its aid for survival.

"Our country is gone and now they're coming after our livelihoods," said Zeinab al-Ardaba, a resident of Jordan's Baqaa camp.

She is one of the nearly 119,000 Palestinian refugees living in the sprawling camp just north of the capital Amman, where snaking narrow alleyways are strewn with rubbish and wastewater.

Her face lined with age and wrapped in a blue headscarf, the 78-year-old grandmother of five has lived in the camp since it was built after the Six Day War in 1967.

"How will Trump face God on judgement day?" she asked.

"Where should we go? They're even coming after our livelihoods in our camps... How are we supposed to pay for schools if we can't even make ends meet?"

Washington, which until last year was by far the biggest contributor to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said Friday it would no longer fund the "irredeemably flawed operation".

The US has backed Israel in accusing UNRWA of perpetuating the Middle East conflict by maintaining the idea that millions of Palestinians are refugees with a right to return to homes in what is now Israel.

For Palestinians, the right of return for the hundreds of thousands displaced in 1948 and 1967 -- and their descendants -- is central to their cause.

While most of the Baqaa's residents were displaced in 1967, when Israel took over the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, some are refugees twice over, having first lost their homes in the violence surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.

"Only God knows the difficult conditions we face in this camp... how we eat and live," said Zeinab.

"It's hard to find work and many people are unemployed and have no money... live is difficult, very difficult."

'We will remain'

Palestinians and their supporters say UNRWA provides crucial services for the poor and that it must continue operating until a just solution is reached for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Created in 1949, the agency supplies aid to more than three million of the five million registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories.

Jordan hosts nearly 2.2 million Palestinian refugees, according to the UN, who make up nearly half of the kingdom's total population.

Washington's "unfair and irresponsible decision will have a huge affect on the lives of Palestinians," said 80-year-old Hussein Abu Shanaan, who lives in the camp with his four children and nearly 20 grandchildren.

"But whatever they do to us, we Palestinians will remain," he added, his voice frail.

Set up as a temporary shelter with 5,000 tents after the 1967 war, Baqaa now looks more like a city, with 16 schools and two health centres.

"If the Americans don't want to help us, they can return our country, land and property," said 70-year-old widow Najiya Faraj.

"Our families once owned large houses, farms and animals -- today, we're begging for aid."

Faraj and her 13 children live on just $150 (130 euros) a month.

"More than half a century after they displaced us from our homes, they're coming for our lives and our livelihoods. What do they want from us?"

Leaving a shop after buying bread for his family, 33-year-old father of two Hani al-Jebarat looked distressed.

"God help these people. They can barely find bread to feed their children... what will happen to these children?" he asked, shaking his head as he walked away.

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"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS"– Sep  29, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… What have we told you about the bridge? Actually, not much except that in crossing the bridge, the old energy ones were not going to like it. Old energy does not want you to escape! Old energy doesn't want you to cross the bridge because it can't cross. Did you know that? It can't cross. The old paradigms of Human nature that you've known all of these millenniums have to stay on the old side of the bridge. It cannot cross, for the bridge rejects all that is not in love, compassion and light. Those things that are dark, including Human nature of the past, will not be able to go. But the ones I speak to right now are already on the bridge. That was your design, old soul, and those are the words that are ringing in your ears to this day and the ones given at the wind of birth, that this might happen in your lifetime. So what's going to happen next?

Swords

Let us talk about the swords: When you hear the word sword, the first thing that occurs to you is battle. The Bridge of Swords is a battle and we told you that as well. Swords are metaphoric and they mean many things, so let us describe the things we mean them to say to you.

Number one: They are indeed a weapon in a battle. There is a battle coming. "Kryon, does that mean there's going to be a war?" Potentially, yes. Right now we will tell you that the Middle East cooks itself. You've noticed, haven't you? What do you know about the Middle East, dear one? Let's start examining things for a moment. What energy did you grow up in? What was the energy of the Middle East? In the '40s, what was the energy? With the establishment of the state of Israel, you built a wall of hate, both sides. The wall was so thick that the children of both sides were taught to hate one another as soon as they were able to understand the language. They were told who their enemies were. Now, where were you then?

Some of you weren't here yet. By the time you arrived, in your youth, were you aware of the Middle East? Not particularly. "What's the hatred about?" you might ask. What if I told you it's about a family feud? Two sons of a Jewish master are involved. One founded the Arabs and one remained a Jew. They don't want to hear this, but they are all Jews. (Don't tell them this.)

If you look at the lineage, it's pretty obvious and yet it's a complete and total set-up for either solution or war. The set-up would have this world ending in a conflagration that would have been brought about by this hatred. That's in the prophecy of Nostradamus and your scripture, but it is no longer the prophecy of the planet. Yet the hatred still exists. The hatred is as great today as it was then, but where was all the terrorism 40 years ago? It was isolated.

Those in Israel and Palestine and surrounding areas took the brunt of it, but now it's seemingly everywhere - and you're worried. Why would this be? The answer is that the old energy was happy to have this hatred contained, for it would keep it going and never involve outsiders. Outsiders tend to bring unwanted light to the party. Suddenly, the whole earth is involved and can see the entire scenario before them. The old guard wants war, just like all the eons before them. The ones on the bridge are holding the light and showing the earth how to cross. Even many younger ones in Israel and Palestine and Iran are holding light! It's all around the old guard and they are furious, for they are losing the "battle of hatred." …”

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."