AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi on Friday received a phone call from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, during which they reaffirmed the continued strong cooperation between Jordan and the United Nations and its agencies.

 

Safadi and the UN Secretary-General emphasised the necessity of uniting regional and international efforts to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and provide it with the necessary support to enable it to continue delivering its vital services to Palestinian refugees, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Safadi and Guterres also highlighted the Agency’s significant humanitarian role in Gaza, which continues to face a humanitarian catastrophe due to the destruction caused by Israeli aggression, Israel’s ongoing prevention of sufficient humanitarian aid from entering, and the issue of illegal restrictions on UN organisations, particularly UNRWA.

 

They affirmed that UNRWA and its role are indispensable and rejected all attempts to target the agency.

 

Safadi and Guterres further underscored the importance of the UN General Assembly’s decision to extend UNRWA’s mandate for an additional three years.

 

In this context, Safadi welcomed the UN General Assembly’s decision today to adopt the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice regarding Israel’s obligations concerning the presence and activities of the United Nations and other international organisations in the occupied Palestinian territory. The opinion states that Israel, as the occupying power, must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law and approve and facilitate aid and relief programmes provided to the population in the occupied Palestinian territory, including assistance provided by the United Nations and its agencies, particularly UNRWA, and must not prevent such aid from reaching those in need.

 

Also Friday, Safadi, along with the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, and the Arab Republic of Egypt, issued a statement condemning the Israeli forces’ storming of UNRWA headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. They described the assault as a blatant violation of international law and the sanctity of UN premises, constituting an unacceptable escalation.

 

Jordan organised, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, a ministerial meeting to mobilise support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).