by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Jerusalem : Palestine’s Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) signed the agreement of the Youth Economic Empowerment Project with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which is part of the Palestinian People’s Economic Empowerment Program, funded by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) through the UNDP in partnership with the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development.
UAWC said the project, which will extend for 20 months, targets students of agricultural sciences, environment and veterinary medicine at Palestinian universities in the West Bank, through supporting them with small-scale income generating projects within their majors.
It is noteworthy that UAWC has been working within the Economic Empowerment Program for the Palestinian People since 2007, to serve different sectors, to reach the current stage of the program, which is the empowerment of the Palestinian youth.
—Khalid Al-Khalidi/AB/IINA
by Editor | 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 Editor | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Jerusalem : Israel on Wednesday fumed over a vote by the Interpol that approved the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) as a member in the international police body.
Earlier in the day, Palestinian membership to the Interpol was approved by 74 to 24 votes, exceeding the two-thirds requirement of the yes-to-no ratio.
The decision was made despite Israel’s diplomatic campaign to thwart the vote, Xinhua reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the approval. In a meeting in Jerusalem with the US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Jason Greenblatt, and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Netanyahu charged that the resolution “violates signed agreements with Israel.”
Netanyahu said the actions of the Palestinian leadership in recent days severely impairs the chances of achieving peace and added that the Palestinian diplomatic warfare would not go unanswered.
Israel’s Minister of Environmental Protection, Zeev Elkin, who is also a close ally of Netanyahu, said Israel should “cancel gestures granted to the Palestinians,” including work permits in Israel, and special travel permits for Palestinian leaders.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak condemned it as “yet another failure” for Netanyahu.
The PNA applauded the approval. “This victory was realised because the majority of the Interpol members defended the raisons d’etre of the organisation and basic principles,” said Palestinian Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Riad Malki.
He added that the approval reflects the trust of the international community in Palestine’s capabilities.
“Palestine will commit to obligations and contribute to combating crime and law enforcement on the international level,” Malki noted.
The move was part of the Palestinian campaign to gain international diplomatic recognition as a state.
Established in 1923, Interpol is the world’s largest police organization aimed to struggle crime and terrorism. Currently, it has 192 members after the admission of Solomon Islands and Palestine on Wednesday.
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Amman : The Joint Jordanian-Palestinian Higher Committee’s preparatory panel held a meeting in Amman, which was headed by Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yarub Qudah and Palestinian Economy Minister Abeer Odeh to discuss prospects for cementing economic ties between the two sides.
The meeting which took place on Tuesday endorsed the agenda of a meeting of the higher committee, which is due to be held on Wednesday and will be co-chaired by Prime Minister Hani Mulki and his Palestinian Counterpart Rami Al Hamdallah.
Qudah said the encounters came three years after a meeting of the higher committee, a delay which was due to the tough conditions the Palestinians were facing as a result of Israeli-imposed obstacles. However, he added, other bilateral meetings were ongoing at various levels to develop cooperation in all fields.
He expressed hope the meetings would remove trade barriers and find mechanisms to solve such impediments to enhance the private sector’s role in trade exchange and launch joint ventures.
—SM/IINA
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Amman : The Joint Jordanian-Palestinian Higher Committee opened its technical meetings in Amman on Sunday to look into prospects to enhance economic relations between the two sides.
The preparatory committee’s meetings, held at the ministry of industry and trade, were co-chaired by the Ministry’s Secretary General Yousef Al Shamayleh and Chief Executive Officer of the Palestinian General Authority for Industrial Cities and Free Zones Ali Shaath.
Al Shamayleh referred to the “modest” trade exchange between the two countries, which he attributed to measures and restrictions imposed by Israel on the Palestinian economy.
Extricating the Palestinian economy from the Israeli control will only be possible through enhancing economic and trade ties between Jordan and Palestine, he pointed out.
According to the secretary general, the trade exchange between the two sides rose by 14 percent standing at $178 million in 2016, compared to $156 million in 2015, Petra reported.
Al Shamayleh highlighted the need to strengthen economic ties and activate agreements signed between the two sides “in the interest of their peoples”. “Work is underway to complete requirements to establish the Jordanian-Palestinian free logistical zone that aims to strengthen trade exchange and increase transit of Palestinian goods via Jordan,” he added.
Shaath, for his part, stressed the importance of boosting Jordanian-Palestinian cooperation, mainly in the economic and trade fields, as well as activating work of joint committees to achieve this objective.
—SM/IINA
