Khaberni - The Arab Parliament affirmed its full support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), appreciating the humanitarian role it plays despite the severe challenges it faces due to the crimes of the Israeli occupation, its restrictive policies, and media disinformation campaigns against it.
This came during a meeting between the president of the Arab Parliament, Mohammad bin Ahmed Al Yamahi, and the director of UNRWA, Marc Lassouaoui, on the sidelines of the Inter-Parliamentary Union meetings held in Geneva from October 19 to 23.
Al Yamahi confirmed that the agency represents a fundamental pillar in the humanitarian efforts directed towards the Palestinian people and that continuing its work is an urgent necessity given the difficult humanitarian conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Gaza Strip.
He explained that the Arab Parliament continues its efforts to urge the countries that have stopped funding the agency to resume their financial support, pointing to his last meeting with the president of the Swedish Parliament who pledged to press his government to resume funding, considering that stopping the support contradicts international law.
He also noted that the Arab Parliament made an official appeal during its speech at the General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, calling on member states to resume funding the agency and support its vital humanitarian role.
The president of the Arab Parliament emphasized that the priority after the ceasefire in Gaza is for reconstruction and the introduction of humanitarian aid, confirming that this effort cannot be accomplished without UNRWA, as it is the most capable UN body to implement these tasks on the ground, and it understands the nature of conditions inside the Gaza Strip best.
He also revealed a preliminary agreement with the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie to organize a joint international parliamentary event involving UNRWA and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, to issue a unified global appeal to support the agency and enhance its humanitarian role in Palestine.
On his part, Lassouaoui praised the Arab Parliament's movements to urge Sweden to resume its funding for the organization, affirming the agency's eagerness to cooperate with the Arab Parliament to highlight its humanitarian and vital role for the Palestinian people, stressing that its services, though limited, remain a lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees.
