Source: Al-Bayan (UAE), 31st July 2002. http://www.albayan.co.ae/albayan/alarbea/2002/issue143/axis/1.htm…UNRWA schools are greenhouses for suicide bombers. UNRWA director of activities in Jordan argued in that meeting of UNRWAs’ teachers [held on 27th June 2002] that the majority of those who commit suicide missions in Palestine are UNRWAs’ schools graduates born in refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza, which are under responsibility of UNRWA. The national anti-Israeli slogans and the education given to students [in the refugee camps] “are responsible to the transformation of them to delayed bombs”… Source: Islamic Block website (Gaza) http://www.islamicblock.com/sahwa_news/eighth_issue/sixth_page.html

Announcement by the Islamic Block in UNRWA-Gaza

At this time when the Palestinian problem is heading toward precarious crossroad… the UNRWA directorate publishes from time to time decisions and publications, intended to threaten, insult and humiliate the clerks’ sector… Any clerk working for UNRWA, wishing to become a devoted worker must to be blind deaf and mute. Moreover, he has to abstain from identifying with his homeland and religion; he is deprived from feeling what his people feel, rather being prosecuted in the name of the law and values?!

Some of the clerks were summoned for interrogation, warned and threatened with dismissal. This action urged our brothers in the clerks union to announce their collective resignation until UNRWA reconsider its position. Alas, UNRWA… has become an obedient instrument in the hands of the countries financing its activity.

The Islamic Block in UNRWA emphasizes the following:
I. Objection and condemnation of the measures taken by UNRWA… we strongly emphasize that we are an integral part of our Palestinian people, we have our feelings, homeland and religious identity…
II. The senior foreign UNRWA officials are no more than clerks, they should acknowledge their limits, and should not overstep their authority, and they should be aware that they are in service of the Palestinian people and not its masters.
III. It is necessary to unify and coordinate all efforts by the clerks, regardless of their political affiliation and attitude, in order to block the assault…
IV. It is important to hold elections as soon as possible for the three sectors – workers, teachers and services…

The Islamic Block, UNRWA, Gaza
7 April 2003
Source: Hamas website http://www.palestine-info.info/arabic/palestoday/dailynews/2001/july01/7-7/details.htm

On July 6th 2001 the Hamas movement convened a conference in a school in the Jabalya refugee camp (in Gaza) with the participation of the Palestinian Legislative Council, the school’s administration, teachers and hundreds of students. The Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin presented his ideological doctrine to the junior high school students, as quoted below (according to the Hamas website): “This is the generation of liberation and victory…the Zionist enemy wants to overpower us and make us give up Palestine, Acre, Haifa, Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa mosque, but this will not happen”.

In a speech to the audience, Saheil Al-Hindi, representing the teaching sector on behalf of UNRWA, praised Hamas student operatives (Ismaeel Ma’sawabi, Hamed Abu Hijla, Diya A-Taweel, Hussein Abu Naser) who carried out suicide attacks against Israel in recent months, emphasizing that: “The road to Palestine passes through the blood of the fallen, and these fallen have written history with parts of their flesh and their bodies”.

Source: Al-Watan (Kuwait) 11 June, 2003 http://www.al-watan.com/data/20030611/index.asp?content=outstate2

Hamas followers won a remarkable victory in the elections to the clerks union of UNRWA in the Gaza strip gaining 23 out of the 27 seats. 6780 from among entitled 7616 clerks participated in the voting. Hamas followers achieved also 6 (out of 7) seats in the workers sector, 6 seats (out of 9) in the services sector and all 11 seats in the teachers sector. Their victory enables them to form the executive committee of the union comprising 9 members.

Source: Filastin Al-Muslima (Lebanon) July 2003, p.5. www.fm-m.com2003jul2003pdfp5.pdf

The Islamic Block affiliated with the Hamas movement won an overwhelming victory in the elections to the clerks [union] of UNRWA held on the 9th June 2003. More than 8000 clerks from teachers, services and workers sectors participated in the voting. The Hamas organization which gained 23 seats out of 27 in the elections to the three mentioned sectors, considered this victory as a evidence to the ‘popular backing’ of the Hamas and its ideology advocating the continuous armed struggle against Israeli occupation.

The Islamic Block in the teachers sector gained all 11 seats allocated to this sector. Its candidates in the northern districts of [the] Gaza [strip] won 91.7% of the total vote. In Gaza [city] and Shati [refugee camp] areas they gained 57.04%; in central districts 88.04%; in Khan Yunis district 92.03% and in Rafah district 81.06%.

Teachers’ Sector Area Hamas achievement
Northern districts of Gaza 91.7%
Gaza and Shati refugee 57.04%
Central districts 88.04%
Khan Yunis district 92.03%
Rafah district 81.06%

In the elections to the services sector the Islamic Block gained 6 seats out of the 9 allocated to all Gazan districts, while in the worker sector it achieved 6 out of 7 seats. Yusouf Abu Zubaida, the Islamic Block’s candidate in Rafah district, attained 45.74% of the vote. Abd Aziz Daber, its candidate in Khan Yunis district won 60.07% of the vote. In Dir Al-Balah the Islamic Block candidate failed to win a majority. Muhamad Darwish, the PFLP’s candidate won the election gaining 63.03% of the vote.

The Islamic Block candidates in Nuseart (Ala Jaber) and Al-Bureij (Zaki Shoubier) won the election with 50.06 % and 43.84% respectively. Amir Atallah won a noticeable achievement in the election in the Shati refugee camp gaining 100% of the vote. Maher Zaqout, another candidate of the Islamic Block, achieved 85.85% of the votes in the northern districts of [the] Gaza [strip].

Hamas candidate Area Percentage of Votes
Yusouf Abu Zubaida Rafah district 45.74%
Abd Aziz Daber Khan Yunis district 60.07%
Ala Jaber Nuseart 50.06%
Zaki Shoubier Al-Bureij 43.84%
Maher Zaqout Northern districts of Gaza 85.85%
Amir Atallah Shati 100%

This is the Islamic Block’s consecutive forth victory since 1990 in the elections to the UNRWA clerks’ union…Suhail Al-Hindi, who was elected in the teachers’ sector as a representative of the Islamic Block, emphasized in response to the Islamic Block’s decisive victory, the [broad] scope of support the Islamic movement enjoys in the ‘Palestinian street’…He considered the victory as evidence of the “Palestinian Street support for this movement [Hamas] and its rejection to Abu Mazen’s policy toward the cessation of the resistance against Israeli occupation”….

The organizations which participated in the elections are:

The Islamic Block [Hamas], the Palestinian Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Palestinian Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PDFLP) and the Fatah movement.
Source: Al-Bayan (UAE), 31st July 2002. http://www.albayan.co.ae/albayan/alarbea/2002/issue143/axis/1.htm

UNRWA schools are greenhouses for suicide bombers. UNRWA director of activities in Jordan argued in that meeting of UNRWAs’ teachers [held on 27th June 2002] that the majority of those who commit suicide missions in Palestine are UNRWAs’ schools graduates born in refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza, which are under responsibility of UNRWA. The national anti-Israeli slogans and the education given to students [in the refugee camps] “are responsible to the transformation of them to delayed bombs”…
Source: Islamic Block website (Gaza) http://www.islamicblock.com/sahwa_news/eighth_issue/sixth_page.html

Announcement by the Islamic Block in UNRWA-Gaza

At this time when the Palestinian problem is heading toward precarious crossroad… the UNRWA directorate publishes from time to time decisions and publications, intended to threaten, insult and humiliate the clerks’ sector… Any clerk working for UNRWA, wishing to become a devoted worker must to be blind deaf and mute. Moreover, he has to abstain from identifying with his homeland and religion; he is deprived from feeling what his people feel, rather being prosecuted in the name of the law and values?!

Some of the clerks were summoned for interrogation, warned and threatened with dismissal. This action urged our brothers in the clerks union to announce their collective resignation until UNRWA reconsider its position. Alas, UNRWA… has become an obedient instrument in the hands of the countries financing its activity.

The Islamic Block in UNRWA emphasizes the following:

I. Objection and condemnation of the measures taken by UNRWA… we strongly emphasize that we are an integral part of our Palestinian people, we have our feelings, homeland and religious identity…
II. The senior foreign UNRWA officials are no more than clerks, they should acknowledge their limits, and should not overstep their authority, and they should be aware that they are in service of the Palestinian people and not its masters.
III. It is necessary to unify and coordinate all efforts by the clerks, regardless of their political affiliation and attitude, in order to block the assault… IV. It is important to hold elections as soon as possible for the three sectors – workers, teachers and services…

The Islamic Block, UNRWA, Gaza 7 April 2003
Source: Hamas website http://www.palestine-info.info/arabic/palestoday/dailynews/2001/july01/7-7/details.htm

On July 6th 2001 the Hamas movement convened a conference in a school in the Jabalya refugee camp (in Gaza) with the participation of the Palestinian Legislative Council, the school’s administration, teachers and hundreds of students. The Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin presented his ideological doctrine to the junior high school students, as quoted below (according to the Hamas website): “This is the generation of liberation and victory…the Zionist enemy wants to overpower us and make us give up Palestine, Acre, Haifa, Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa mosque, but this will not happen”.

In a speech to the audience, Saheil Al-Hindi, representing the teaching sector on behalf of UNRWA, praised Hamas student operatives (Ismaeel Ma’sawabi, Hamed Abu Hijla, Diya A-Taweel, Hussein Abu Naser) who carried out suicide attacks against Israel in recent months, emphasizing that: “The road to Palestine passes through the blood of the fallen, and these fallen have written history with parts of their flesh and their bodies”.

Source: Al-Bayan (UAE), 31st July 2002. http://www.albayan.co.ae/albayan/alarbea/2002/issue143/axis/1.htm

UNRWA schools: Greenhouses for suicide bombers.

UNRWA director of activities in Jordan argued in that meeting of UNRWAs’ teachers [held on 27th June 2002] that the majority of those who commit suicide missions in Palestine are UNRWAs’ schools graduates born in refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza, which are under responsibility of UNRWA. The national anti-Israeli slogans and the education given to students [in the refugee camps] “are responsible to the transformation of them to delayed bombs”.