Jordan calls for Arab League emergency meeting to reach response to Israel's ban on UNRWA

AMMAN — Jordan on Tuesday called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League to discuss a unified Arab response to the "serious and illegal laws recently passed by the Israeli Knesset." 

These laws seek to ban the activities of UNRWA in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The meeting will also address necessary steps to present a unified Arab stance against these illegitimate Israeli measures and to rally international support to counteract and invalidate them.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that Jordan’s ambassador in Cairo and its permanent representative to the Arab League had been asked to request the League’s General Secretariat to set up an emergency session of the Arab League Council at the earliest possible time to formulate a joint Arab action plan to confront these illegal laws.

The spokesperson warned of the catastrophic consequences for the Israli campaign that seek to politically assassinate UNRWA and obstruct the UN agency's efforts in providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians under the unprecedented catastrophe resulting from the Israeli escalation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israel's Knesset on Monday approved a bill banning UNRWA from working in Israel, despite objections from the US, according to AFP.

Despite objections from the US and warnings from the UN Security Council, Israeli lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the bill banning UNRWA from working in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem.

UNRWA has provided essential aid, schooling, healthcare and assistance across the Palestinian territories and to Palestinian refugees elsewhere for more than seven decades, AFP said.