NNA – Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi confirmed on Sunday his country#39;s refusal to impose quot;collective sanctionsquot; on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) due to Israel#39;s accusations that its employees were involved in the Hamas attack on October 7, according to Agence France-Presse.
UNRWA dismissed several employees after Israeli accusations of their involvement in the Hamas attack, promising a comprehensive investigation into the accusations, while Israel pledged to prevent UNRWA from working in the Gaza Strip after the end of the current war.
Several major donor countries to UNRWA announced that they would temporarily suspend their current or future funding as a result of these accusations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland.
A statement issued by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Al-Safadi as confirming, in a phone call with the Agencyrsquo;s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, ldquo;the need for the Agency not to be subject to collective punishment as a result of allegations against 12 of its 13,000 staff in Gaza.rdquo;
He explained that quot;UNRWA plays an indispensable role in delivering humanitarian aid to more than two million Palestinians facing a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.quot; Al-Safadi called on the international community to quot;continue providing the necessary assistance to the agency to enable it to continue providing its services in Gaza, whose people are facing famine.quot;
The ministry#39;s statement said that Al-Safadi and Lazzarini urged countries that announced the suspension of their funding for UNRWA to reverse their decision.
nbsp;
============