Reporting
In Jordan, demonstration of support for UNRWA and the Gazans
To protest against the possible closure of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), demonstrators have been organizing rallies for several weeks. Monday February 19, 2023, a demonstration in front of the UN headquarters in Amman brought together several hundred people.
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A demonstration in Amman, Jordan, in support of Gazans, January 26, 2024 © JEHAD SHELBAK / REUTERS
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With our correspondent in Amman,
Mohamed Errami
Jordan has ten refugee camps managed by UNRWA. 5,000 UNRWA employees in
Jordan
are threatened with losing their jobs if the UN agency were to close. It was in front of the UN headquarters in Amman that demonstrators of all ages gathered, placards in hand, to call on donor countries to reverse their decision. “
The presence of UNRWA is more than essential
, says Khatem Ayech, president of the association for the return of Palestinian refugees.
It is a symbol and a concrete way of recognizing the status of Palestinian refugees, but it is also a way of being recognized vis-à-vis Europe and the United States. But at a given moment, it is Israel that does not want the existence of UNRWA.
»
Calls for a ceasefire
Against a backdrop of conflict in the Gaza enclave, other demonstrators went there to call for a ceasefire. This is the case of Farah, a 19-year-old Jordanian student. “
We are here for the children of Gaza, for those who are still under bombardment and continuing to die. It's incredible that we can provide weapons to Israel why not instead use this money to provide medical aid and food.
»
Last Saturday, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini affirmed that Israel was doing everything to destroy UNRWA. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared that of the 13,000 UNRWA employees in Gaza, at least 12% are affiliated with the terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Read alsoUNRWA, an essential role in the Middle East: overview
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