Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat Thursday called on the European Union (EU) to take effective political steps to save peace in the region.
This came during a meeting with representatives of the EU countries at the PLO’s headquarters in Ramallah, in which he briefed them on the latest political developments and the outcomes of the PLO’s Central Council meeting.
The United States threatens to pull the plug on hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to #Palestine
refugees. #UNRWA https://t.co/rgRTEyFAsk— Alexandra Halaby (@iskandrah) January 6, 2018
He called on the EU to protect the principles and the human rights’ system that it has built over the years, by translating and embodying its firm position on the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders and recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of a recognized State of Palestine.
EU will host international talks on Middle East peace in response to US' recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital https://t.co/lDOjjylaPH
— DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) January 10, 2018
Erekat reiterated the PLO’s position that the United States’ has lost eligibility to play the role of peace broker after its illegal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the occupying Power, and praised the position of the EU in the Security Council and the General Assembly against US President Donald Trump’s decision.
He said: “The US administration’s rejection of international law constitutes a threat to the international system as a whole, and would drag the region and the world into an endless wave of wars and international chaos. Its decision to cut aid to UNRWA will contribute to increasing despair and extremism. Funding UNRWA is a collective international responsibility and the solution can only be achieved through law and international community.”
Whether for medical aid, schooling or rubbish collection in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, the massive funding cuts to #UNRWA announced by the United States' pro-Israeli administration mean nothing less than "catastrophe" for many. #palestine pic.twitter.com/VqGZWQ62I2
— TheMalaysianInsight (@msianinsight) January 19, 2018
Erekat called on the EU to support UNRWA and bridge the gap created by the US in its budget for the refugees’ issue.
(Wafa, PC, Social Media)
