UNRWA (click here)
Amman — “UNRWA is moving ahead (click here) on the assumption that we are here to stay and we will continue to improve our services regardless of the financial crisis,” UNRWA's director of operations in Jordan, Roger Davies, said on Monday, stressing that “Jordan is now home to a total of 2.3 million Palestinian refugees and we have to keep on providing them with the services they need because it is their right”.
His remarks came during a media briefing held at the UNRWA’s field office in Amman, where the official outlined the agency’s plans for the rest of the year following the turmoil of the past few months.
New operations are expected to begin on June 12 at Zarqa refugee camp, where four schools are set to be rehabilitated and upgraded with the funding provided by the Saudi Fund for Development.
A brand new clinic will also be built in Zarqa within the next two years, while the two existing health centres in the area will be merged together in order to provide “faster and better services”.
“The areas of Irbid and Jerash are currently suffering from continuous power cuts, which is especially critical considering that the clinics have fully turned into the electronic health system,” Davies continued, explaining that “in order to fix this situation, UNRWA is planning to install solar panels aimed at generating backup electricity to keep the system running during the power cuts”.
Regarding UNRWA’s financial situation, Davies noted that the agency has been able to raise $210 million since the beginning of the crisis: a total of $100 million were pledged at the extraordinary ministerial meeting to mobilise support for Palestine refugees co-chaired by Jordan, Egypt and Sweden while a subsequent meeting in Saudi Arabia resulted in a $50 million pledge by the host country and another $50 million from the UAE. A recent $10 million donation was further announced by Turkey....The relationship with Palestine that Israel practices is based in punitive measures in the name of punishing any violence. Demonstrators at the Gaza border paid with their lives and now Israel is stating there were arson attacks. Well, I guess when Israel leverages power rather than diplomacy there might be other measures by those desperate enough to carry them out. IF there were arson attacks it was not sponsored by the Palestinian government. This is the way Israel leverages power. The Palestinian government does not carry out attacks.
June 4, 2018
The Palestinian government on Monday (click here) has warned Israel against plans to deduct funds from the Palestinian tax revenues to compensate Israelis living near the Gaza Strip for a wave of arson attacks.
Israel, which collects the Palestinian tax revenues on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, announced plans to compensate Israeli farmers in the Gaza area peripheries whose fields were burnt by Palestinian action.
The Palestine News Agency (WAFA) quoted Palestinian government spokesman Yousef Al-Mahmoud describing the Israeli plans as “an act of robbery and banditry.”
“The Israeli government is plotting to steal the revenues of the Palestinian people,” he said in a statement. “This is an act of aggression committed by thieves called Israeli officials.”
Palestinian protesters in Gaza have been flying flammable kites to set Israeli fields ablaze after Israeli troops responded with deadly force to weekly Friday protests on the border....
