by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Ramallah : The Palestinian government called on Monday on the United Nations General Assembly and international community to continue to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to help it continue with the mission for which it was created for until the Palestinian refugees are able to return to their homes they were forced out from in 1948.
Government spokesman Yousef al-Mahmoud condemned calls by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for dismantling UNRWA as a way to end the Palestinian refugee issue. Netanyahu said on Sunday that UNRWA’s existence “perpetuates the problem of the Palestinian refugees,” claiming that the Palestinian right of return aims at eliminating Israel. Al-Mahmoud expressed surprise at Netanyahu’s claim that the Palestinian right of return aims at eliminating Israel, describing it as incitement.
“No one can imagine that Netanyahu’s incitement against UNRWA could reach such a level,” he said, adding that “Netanyahu would not have said this if it wasn’t for the recent American statements regarding Washington’s intention to end its contribution to UNRWA.”
He described the US position toward the UN agency as “blackmail” as well as “to pressure the Palestinian leadership to compromise on the national constants, which is condemned and rejected by the Palestinians.”
A senior US administration official denied on Sunday that a decision has been made on cutting aid to UNRWA. “There is no existing schedule that obligates the United States to provide specific amounts of aid to UNWRA on specific dates,” said the official in a statement from Washington. “The decisions of when to provide aid in the fiscal year, and in what allocations, lie with the Secretary of State. At this time no such decisions have been made.”
UNRWA rejected as well Netanyahu’s campaign against it, stressing that its mandate comes only from the UN General Assembly, which created it in 1950.
“What perpetuates the problem of Palestinian refugees is failure of the parties to deal with this issue, which should be resolved by the parties to conflict through peace negotiations based on UN resolutions and international law as well as active involvement from the international community,” UNRWA spokesman Sami Mushasha said in a statement on Monday.
—AG/UNA-OIC
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
Reporting by Fuat Kabakci; Writing by Diyar Guldogan,
Beijing : Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated support for an independent Palestine state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.
“Peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved unless the Palestine issue is solved, as this issue is a root one in the region,” Wang was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Wang’s remarks came during his meeting with Ahmed Majdalani and Nabil Shaath — the representatives of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas — in the capital Beijing.
He called on the international community to back a two-state solution and independent Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders.
Wang added the UN General Assembly vote — overwhelmingly rejecting the U.S. move on Jerusalem — both reflected the consensus of the international community and expressed the call for accelerating the peace process in the Middle East.
He also asked the Palestinian people to solve their problems through dialogue, to increase the role of the UN in this regard and raise their voice for peace, according to Xinhua.
On Dec. 6, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital despite worldwide opposition. The decision sparked angry demonstration across the Muslim world.
Following a UN Security Council resolution that would have passed unanimously but for a U.S. veto, the General Assembly passed a resolution spurning the U.S. move, 128-9.
General Assembly votes are not subject to vetos.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top Turkish officials have been at the international forefront opposing the U.S. move, through sponsoring the UN resolution and calling an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, among other measures.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem might eventually serve as the capital of an independent state of Palestine.
—AA
by admin | 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 admin | 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
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
New York : Jordanian King Abdullah II on Wednesday held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, focusing on efforts to revive the peace process and the overall developments in the Middle East.
During the talks, which attended by Crown Prince Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah, the two leaders reviewed ways of enhancing cooperation and the strategic partnership between Jordan and the United States in various fields.
They emphasized the importance of boosting bilateral coordination and consultation on various issues. In remarks to reporters, the King thanked the U.S. president for his support to Jordan, offering at the same time his condolences over the victims of the hurricanes that hit the country recently.
The talks stressed on the need to intensify efforts aimed at moving the peace process forward through re-launching serious and effective negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. In this context, the King emphasized the importance of the U.S. role in urging the Israelis to consider such efforts seriously, Petra reported.
On his part, King Abdullah warned that the failure to reach a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution undermines security and stability in the region and the whole world and fuels violence and extremism in the Middle East.
On the Syrian crisis, the two leaders stressed the need to intensify efforts to find a political solution to the crisis through the Geneva process in a way that preserves Syria’s territorial integrity and the safety of its people.
In the same context, King Abdullah and President Trump underlined the importance of the recent ceasefire agreement in southwestern Syria, which was reached between Jordan, the United States, and Russia. They said the agreement should act as a model that can be applied in other parts of Syria.
The talks also focused on counterterror efforts, stressing the importance of intensifying stepping up such efforts, both regionally and internationally, within a holistic strategy to address this danger, which threatens global peace and security.
“I’m very grateful for your support to our country in these difficult times and the special bond between our two nations.” “Terrorism is a scourge around the world, but I think Jordan will always stand beside you and your country. And we will overcome,” the King said.
From his side, President Trump said: “It’s a great honor to be with the King, who has been our partner and ally for a long time. And I think never has the relationship been better than it is right now.” “We’re working together on many problems and some things that aren’t problems that are very, very good. But we’re going to make some of the bad ones turn out good,” Trump added.
—SM/IINA
