Roland Friedrich
@grfriedrich.bsky.social
120 followers 52 following 110 posts
Director of UNRWA Affairs for the West Bank, including East Jerusalem
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grfriedrich.bsky.social
At this critical juncture in the region, the League of Arab States is an important partner in building on the momentum of the tenuous ceasefire reached in #Gaza. Humanitarian aid must be allowed in at scale, and @unrwa.org must be allowed to operate without hindrance in both Gaza and the #WestBank.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Yesterday I had a series of constructive meetings in Cairo at the League of Arab States with H.E. Dr. Nada El Agizy and H.E. Dr. Faed Mustafa, reinforcing our shared commitment to protecting the mandate of @unrwa.org, and sustaining the Agency's indispensable work in support of #PalestineRefugees.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
As fragile hope now emerges in Gaza, @unrwa.org stands ready to work with all parties to ensure a comprehensive outcome that can form the cornerstone of peace and stability for the entirety of the occupied Palestinian territory, and for the region, for generations to come.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Previous pauses in hostilities in Gaza have seen violence spike in the West Bank. This pattern must be broken. The future of Gaza and West Bank are one. A drawdown in Gaza should not become an opportunity to tighten the grip of occupation elsewhere.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
In the northern West Bank, destruction and #ForcedDisplacement persist. Three refugee camps have been emptied, and residents prevented from returning. Settler violence and settlement expansion have spiralled, pushing Palestinian communities from their lands – paving the way for annexation.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
The release of 20 Israeli hostages and nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners this week marks both an end and a new beginning. As the long-awaited ceasefire starts in Gaza, this moment must mark the beginning of building a durable peace across the occupied Palestinian territory, including the #WestBank.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Families should be allowed unhindered access to their lands to harvest their olives in safe conditions. @unrwa.org calls for full protection for Palestinian farmers, communities, and all those participating and supporting this year’s olive harvest.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
The olive harvest is the primary livelihood for tens of thousands of Palestinians, with olive trees deeply rooted in Palestinian heritage and identity. Attacks against it threaten the very way of life for many Palestinians, and further deepen the coercive environment in the West Bank.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
The 2025 olive harvest season has started across the #WestBank, at a time when settler violence against Palestinian communities, including the agricultural sector, continues unabated. This week alone, hundreds of olive trees have been uprooted or destroyed by settlers.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
For 70 years, UNRWA has educated Palestinian girls, equipping them with skills for life. As the world marks thirty years since the Beijing Declaration, UNRWA in the West Bank renews its commitment to safeguard the futures of #PalestineRefugees, including girls. #Beijing30
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Of the 48,000 students enrolled in @unrwa.org schools in the West Bank, more than 60% are girls. These girls will one day grow up to become women, serving their communities as doctors, lawyers, scientists, developers, journalists, teachers and politicians.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
This #DayOfTheGirl, we honour the resilience of all girls on the frontlines of crisis, especially those forcibly displaced in the northern #WestBank. More than 6,000 girls remain uprooted from their homes, with their education disrupted and their futures uncertain. Yet, they refuse to give up.
Reposted by Roland Friedrich
unrwa.org
UNRWA @unrwa.org · 18d
In the occupied #WestBank, Palestinians are facing the worst displacement crisis since 1967.

Amid escalating violence, UNRWA continues to serve 920,000 #Palestine Refugees, keeping schools, clinics, and vital aid running.

Learn about our work: www.unrwa.org/resources/fa...
Reposted by Roland Friedrich
unrwa.org
UNRWA @unrwa.org · 23d
In the northern West Bank, operation ‘Iron Wall’ continues, with some 32,000 residents of #Palestine Refugee camps unable to return to their homes.

UNRWA is leading the emergency response and delivering health, emergency education, waste management, and cash assistance.

#UNGA80 #UNRWAworks
grfriedrich.bsky.social
This #BackToSchool, we are proud of our students and teachers who continue to show resilience in the face of hardship. We wish all children a school year filled with excitement for learning, friendships, and curiosity.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Regardless, UNRWA continues to be the second-largest provider of education in the West Bank after the Palestinian Authority, reaching students through schools, training centres, and hybrid learning modalities.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
In #EastJerusalem – for the first time in our history – we have been obstructed from opening our six schools after their forcible closure by Israeli authorities in May, affecting some 800 children. Only some of these students have been able to enrol in other schools.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Last year, I marked the beginning of the school year with children in #JeninCamp. Now, those same students have been forcibly displaced from their homes and our schools in the camp stand silent. Of the 30,000+ Palestinians displaced in the northern West Bank, more than one in three are children.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Today, some 46,000 Palestine refugee children will be started the school year in @unrwa.org schools across the #WestBank. Amid heightened violence and displacement, our schools provide safe havens for children to learn, delivering both quality education and support for their wellbeing.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
In partnership with the Palestinian Ministry of Labour, UNRWA delivered four rounds of Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance to more than to 4,300 Gazans in the West Bank between April and July 2025, helping to cover their most basic needs.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Uncertain of their own futures and fearing for their loved ones in Gaza, support from @unrwa.org is a lifeline. Thanks to the Qatar Red Crescent Society and the Qatar Fund for Development, UNRWA has been able to provide these vulnerable Palestinians with emergency cash and psychosocial support.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Thousands of #PalestineRefugees from #Gaza – labourers and medical patients with their accompanying family members – remain stranded in the #WestBank since October 2023, unable to return to their homes and without a regular source of income.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Our staff remain our strength and our inspiration. Today, we ask you to honour their service by ensuring they remain safe and supported, their work remains funded, and that the rights of Palestine refugees continue to be protected through service delivery in accordance with the Agency’s mandate.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
With international staff forced to leave in January this year under protest and #EastJerusalem schools forcibly closed, UNRWA colleagues have been tested like never before. Shrinking #humanitarianspace and a deepening funding crisis have posed existential threats.
grfriedrich.bsky.social
Working for their own communities, many of our staff are themselves forcibly displaced or have lost their homes. Yet, day by day, they #StayAndDeliver education, healthcare, protection, food, waste management, and – most importantly – hope to vulnerable Palestinians.