Indonesia Commemorates 70 Years of Palestine Occupation

Jakarta, MINA – The Indonesian Embassy in Amman, Jordan, commemorated 70 years of Palestinian occupation by Israel, which is called the Palestinian Solidarity Day, organized by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) based in Jordan, on Nov 29, 2017.

A statement from the Palestinian Function of the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, Nico Adam, received by ANTARA here on Thursday, mentioned that the commemoration aims to encourage the UN General Assembly members to continue to provide strong support and wide publicity regarding the Solidarity Day.

During a visit to the UNRWA office, the Indonesian Embassy in Amman handed over food packages to the Palestinian refugees in Jordan. The aid package comes from Indonesian donors and Jordanian businessmen who import these foods from Indonesia.

The donation was submitted by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Jordan, Andy Rachmianto, to the UNRWA Director, Roger Davies.

Andy hoped that the donation could help the Palestinian refugees during the winter.

In 2016, the Indonesian Embassy in Amman delivered donation of US$20,000 from the Indonesians, through the UNRWA, for school equipment for child refugees in Rusayifah and Gaza Strip.

Davies expressed his gratitude for the help and concern of the Indonesian government and people towards the Palestinians, not only for those in the West Bank and Gaza Strip but also for Palestinian refugees in Jordan.

In the midst of the deficit of UNRWA`s operational budget this year, which amounts to $77 million, any donations given by states, groups, or even a person would be highly appreciated, Davies, who has been serving at the UNRWA for 28 years, remarked.

On the anniversary of the Palestinian Solidarity Day this year, Andy and several staff members visited several schools and health facilities inside the Palestinian refugee camp in Qusour and Marka.

Activities run by UNRWA

Currently, the UNRWA serves approximately 2.2 million Palestinian refugees in 10 camps, or 43 percent of total Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza Strip.

The UNRWA in Jordan has 7 thousand members, of which 95 percent are Palestinian refugees.

The UNRWA has educational facilities, consisting of 171 schools with 121,368 students studying from first to tenth grades; one Faculty of Science and Arts; as well as two vocational and technical training centers.

The UNRWA also has 25 major health centers capable of treating over 1.1 million refugees, 10 community-based rehabilitation centers, and 14 women`s resource improvement programs.

In addition to those facilities, the UNRWA in Jordan also provides financial aid of $115 per person per year for nearly 60 thousand refugees.

Davies hoped the anniversary of the Palestinian Solidarity Day could be a call for the international community to focus on Palestinians, who until now have not been able to fulfill their rights of self-determination without external interference, the right to have freedom and national sovereignty, and the right to return to their homeland. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)