AMMAN, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday underlined the need for the international community to maintain support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to enable its continuous provision of vital relief services in accordance with the UN mandate.
The Jordanian king made the remarks in a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during which he urged countries to continue supporting the agency "so that it would be able to provide relief aid to over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza who are facing a catastrophic humanitarian situation."
He emphasized the need to reach an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to ensure that Israel abides by international law and international humanitarian law, stressing the necessity to allow the displaced Gazans to return home.
The king also noted the role of UN agencies in delivering humanitarian, relief, and medical aid to Gaza, according to a statement by Jordan's Royal Hashemite Court.
He, in the meantime, warned of extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, as well as violations of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, according to the statement.
As of Monday, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, Japan, Austria and Romania have joined the United States in pausing funding for UNRWA after Israel accused several employees of the UN relief agency of involving in the Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The UNRWA, established as a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly in 1949, serves to support the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees and is entrusted with the mission of providing humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestinian refugees in the agency's operational areas until a just and lasting solution to their plight is achieved. ■
