A ranking official of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has publicly praised Israel for its treatment of Palestinian refugees in areas under its control, including parts of Lebanon.
The remarks by Olof Rydbeck, a Commissioner of UNRWA, at a press conference here surprised observers inasmuch as the UN agency often has been accused of anti-Israel bias. Rydbeck, who met with Bonn government officials and members of Parliament, is trying to raise money for UNRWA work.
He said the Arab contribution to the budget of the organization set up to care for Palestinian refugees has been dwindling lately. It amounted to $17 million in 1981, $14 million in 1982, but only $4 million in 1983.
Rydbeck said the Israeli authorities are cooperating with UNRWA in spite of occasional friction. He said the Israelis are contributing to the free movement of UNRWA “at least” as much as Jordan and Egypt had done or are doing in areas which were formerly or are still under their control where UNRWA facilities are located.
Questioned about reports of repressive acts by Israel against Palestinians in Lebanon, Rydbeck said that in fact Israel intervened in at least one case to prevent the massacre of Palestinians by other groups in Lebanon. He said he was concerned for the safety of Palestinians in Lebanon if the Israelis withdraw from that country because it is the Israelis who protect them.
Rydbeck also said that the figure of a half million Palestinian refugees displaced by the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June, 1982, was inflated. According to the UNRWA official, 237,000 Palestinian refugees are registered in Lebanon of whom 190,000 receive aid.
He added that the overall number could not exceed 300,000. He based that figure on the number of Palestinian children who are registered at UNRWA institutions because they are not admitted to Lebanese schools.
Rydbeck spoke of an UNRWA school controlled by the Palestine Liberation Organization in Lebanon prior to the 1982 war which, he said, was used to train PLO fighters. He confirmed that many PLO fighters were registered as refugees and received assistance from UNRWA.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
