RAMALLAH, September 3, 2018 (WAFA) - Hanan Ashrawi, member of Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), strongly condemned on Monday a pledge by West Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat to shut down schools in occupied East Jerusalem run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), describing it as arrogant and outrageous.
"Barkat‘s pledge to expel UNRWA from occupied Jerusalem and shut down its services and programs is arrogant and outrageous,” she said in a statement. “Israel is responsible for creating the Palestinian refugee problem, and it has no right to alter the mandate, duties and responsibilities of UNRWA as defined by the United Nations.”
Barkat said on Monday that he intends to shut down all UNRWA operations in the occupied city and move its services to his municipality.
Responding to Barkat’s remarks, UNRWA spokesman Sami Mshasha said UNRWA, which runs five schools and provides services to 100,000 Palestinian refugees in the city, did not receive any thing on this matter, stressing that all schools and services in the city are still functioning.
Ashrawi said that such a declaration against UNRWA, which was established by UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) of December 8, 1949 to provide essential services, assistance and opportunities for work, growth and development to 5.3 million Palestinian refugees in Occupied Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, “is a direct affront to the international community and its laws and institutions, as well as a deliberate targeting of the Palestinian refugees and their rights.”
She added: “Clearly, Barkat‘s comments have been emboldened by the latest American decision to defund UNRWA and redefine the status of Palestinian refugees. These moves are part of the US administration‘s plan to dismantle all permanent status issues at the core of which are occupied Jerusalem, the Palestinian refugees and the right of return, the two-state solution, 1967 borders, and the legality of the settlements, thereby destroying the chances of peace.
“Regardless of the American administration‘s irresponsible and illegal latest moves, neither the United States nor Israel (let alone the so-called ‘Mayor‘ of Jerusalem) can impose their will on the international community or target its institutions.
“It is up to governments worldwide and all members of the international community to rise to the challenge and intervene immediately to ensure that such threats are not carried out and to maintain the integrity of the global legal and political system," concluded the PLO official.
M.K.
