Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has highlighted the importance for the United Nations to continue its full mandate of a body to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees…reports Asian Lite News
Safadi made the remarks during a meeting in Amman with Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the UN body that provides relief to Palestinian refugees.
During the meeting, Safadi also stressed the importance of providing necessary financial support to the UN body to overcome its recurrent budget deficit and enable it to offer services to refugees in the educational, health, and relief sectors, as well as other services mentioned in its UN mandate, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.
Jordan will continue to work with international and regional partners to provide support to UNRWA, Safadi was quoted as saying in the statement.
The Jordanian official also expressed his opposition to any changes to UNRWA’s mandate or reductions in the services it provides for refugees, noting providing these services is the agency’s exclusive responsibility.
Praising Jordan’s increased and continuous efforts to mobilize political and financial support for UNRWA, Lazzarini emphasised the need for the international community to honor its financial commitments to the UN agency.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to the violent escalation between the Israelis and the Palestinians and urged the two sides to move toward a peaceful resolution.
Macron made the remarks in a phone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss ending the growing tension in the Palestinian territories, Xinhua news agency reported.
Macron called on both sides to avoid tensions and move to initiatives that would lead to a political horizon to facilitate peace and stability in the region.
He also invited Abbas to visit Paris.
Abbas said that the current situation in the Palestinian territories cannot be tolerated, criticising Israel for not following its commitments to the signed peace agreements.
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Tension between the Israelis and the Palestinians has been flaring over the past weeks as a series of Palestinian attacks set off almost daily raids by Israel to arrest suspects in the West Bank.
The tension was further fueled by clashes at the holy Al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinians have been seeking to establish an independent state on the Palestinian territories seized by Israel in the June 1967 Middle East War, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
