Middle East Monitor / October 24, 2022
Saudi Arabia has donated $27 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to support the services towards the Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories.
An agreement was signed yesterday during a press conference in Amman, during which the Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Nayef al-Sudairi noted that the total Saudi support for Palestine has exceeded $5.2 billion since 1999.
According to WAFA news agency, he said that the Saudi presence is at the heart of the Palestinian cause.
“Saudi Arabia’s firm stance toward the Palestinian cause has continued until the rule of King Salman and his crown prince. The king has announced the official Saudi position on numerous occasions, which was reiterated recently by the Kingdom’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, at the 77th UNGA in New York a few weeks ago,” he added.
“Support from the Kingdom and its institutions contributed to the ability of the UNRWA to maintain its vital services for Palestine refugees over decades,” said Commissioner General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini. He explained that the agency has experienced difficulty maintaining funding due to the unpredictability of donors over the past decade.
“The attention on this part of the world has declined,” he warned.
“There are few sources of stability in the lives of Palestine refugees. Access to basic services like education and primary health care are among them,” added Lazzarini.
UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide assistance and protection to refugees in five areas, including Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, until they are given their right to return to the homes they were forced out of as a result of the creation of the state of Israel.
