by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Gaza : The Gaza municipality on Wednesday declared a state of emergency, citing reduced services caused by resource shortages and foreign aid cuts.
“Much of financial aid has been cut, which has halted basic services linked to fuel and sanitation,” Mayor of Gaza Nizar Hejazi said at a press conference, according to Xinhua news agency.
The entire coast will be closed and untreated wastewater will be pumped into the sea because of power failures, Hejazi noted.
The economic deterioration in Gaza has made residents unable to pay the bills, which, in turn, has impacted the municipality’s ability to pay workers’ salaries, he added.
Hejazi demanded that the Palestinian Authority abide by their responsibility for the besieged coastal enclave.
According to a recent UN report, 110 million liters of raw or partially treated sewage is poured into Gaza’s sea daily, as a result of long power outages.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Ramallah : UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov met Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah here on Monday and discussed with him the implementation of the intra-Palestinian reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo, Egypt, on October 12.
In particular, the agreement provides for the return of the crossings of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority by November 1.
“The timely and effective implementation of this provision and concrete steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis will be critical for effectively empowering the Palestinian government in Gaza,” said Mladenov after his meeting with Hamdallah.
“The agreement is also an important step toward achieving the goal of Palestinian unity under a single, democratic and legitimate Palestinian national authority,” added Mladenov.
He also noted that the UN will continue to work with the Palestinian leadership, Egypt and the region in support of the process, highlighting its importance for reaching a negotiated two-state solution and sustainable peace.
Following the signing of the Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas movements last week, UN Secretary General António Guterres congratulated Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the agreement and emphasized the need to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza Strip, particularly with regard to the electricity crisis, and improved access to and from the territory.
—AB/OIC-UNA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Jerusalem : The European Union (EU) will increase its financial assistance to the government of Palestine following the signing of the intra-Palestinian reconciliation agreement and ending the division, EU officials told Palestine’s Ambassador to the bloc Abdel Rahim al-Farra.
Speaking to the Voice of Palestine, Farra said that the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council will hold a meeting, during which the Palestinian reconciliation and enabling the legitimate government to operate in the Gaza Strip will be discussed.
On the other hand, Farra confirmed that he was informed by EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn that the time has come to implement development projects in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian ambassador said that Hahn stressed the need to start building the Gaza desalination plant at the cost of $600 million, noting that this amount will be collected soon during the conference of donor countries in Brussels.
Farra welcomed the statement of the EU missions, which hailed the signing of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement that ended the Palestinian split. “There is a great response to developments in the Palestinian reconciliation,” he said.
—AB/IINA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Ankara, (IINA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Monday that 14,000 tons of supplies would be sailed to Gaza from Turkey before the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Anadolu Agency reported.
Erdogan noted that the planned normalization of relations with Israel would see “basic necessities such as food, footwear, [and] clothing” sent from Mersin port in Turkey.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended in 2010 after Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara — a Turkish aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip — in international waters.
The attack on the six civilian vessels, which had been trying to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, resulted in the death of nine Turkish citizens and left another 30 injured, one of whom later succumbed to his injuries.
