When a German development minister travels, there are usually fewer diplomatic pitfalls than when the chancellor or foreign minister visits. But in Jordan, nerves are on edge.
In view of the growing need of the people in the Gaza Strip, Germany is resuming its development cooperation with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA). Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) announced this after a conversation with UNWRA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini in the Jordanian capital Amman. “Israel’s fight is against Hamas, but the Palestinians are not Hamas,” said Schulze, explaining her decision. After the Islamist Palestinian organization attacked Israel a month ago, funds for development projects were temporarily blocked.
Lazzarini praised the move and reiterated the United Nations’ call for a humanitarian ceasefire. The aid deliveries with a few trucks via the Egyptian border crossing at Rafah are not sufficient. He said: “We must reverse the trend of the siege, otherwise the siege will become one of the main reasons people die in the Gaza Strip.”
Several not-so-easy meetings
The appointment with Lazzarini is just one of several not-so-easy meetings that Schulze has in Amman. On Tuesday she will also speak with Jordan’s Prime Minister, Damit al-Khasawneh. A few hours earlier, he antagonized the Israeli government by saying that attempts to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, or conditions to prepare for this, would be viewed by the kingdom as a “declaration of war.” As the state news agency Petra reported, he said the “brutal attacks on ambulances and humanitarian aid workers” in the Gaza Strip contradicted “the principle of self-defense.” At the request of the Jordanians, there will be no joint press conference with Schulze and Al-Khasawneh.
When the development minister praised the Jordanians’ “solidarity” in accepting “refugees from neighboring countries” in a speech during a visit to the future German-Jordanian Center for Labor Mobility, some of the Jordanian government representatives winced – perhaps because they heard the head of government’s warning against expulsion from Palestinians to Jordan are still in your ears.
“Slightly different assessments”
Schulze says the Jordanian leader emphasized the importance of UNWRA’s work and a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. There is agreement on that. But not on another point, says Schulze. The federal government is certain that Israel adheres to international law. “The Jordanian government says that what is already visible in terms of suffering among the civilian population is no longer compatible with what international law says.” Schulze adds: “But we have slightly different assessments.”
In Jordan, where a large part of the population is of Palestinian origin, there is great solidarity with the residents of the Gaza Strip who are suffering from Israeli attacks. On an advertising poster in downtown Amman, a car dealer advertises that he will donate 5,000 Jordanian dinars (the equivalent of around 6,600 euros) to Gaza for every new car sold.
Growing need of the people in the Gaza Strip
After the Hamas attack on Israel, the federal government temporarily stopped funding for development projects that benefit displaced people in the Palestinian territories and Palestinian refugees in neighboring countries and announced a thorough review of all projects – despite strict criteria that had already been in place. Specifically, according to the information, the aim was to ensure that neither the spread of anti-Semitic thought patterns nor supporters of Hamas were promoted. Lazzarini says the names of UNWRA staff in the Palestinian territories are regularly submitted to Israel as the occupying power and also to the Palestinian Authority.
In view of the growing need of the people in the Gaza Strip and the increasingly unstable situation in some neighboring countries, further support for UNRWA has been considered as a priority, the Development Ministry said. As a first partial result, planned commitments of 71 million euros for UNRWA are now to be released and, in view of the increased needs, an additional 20 million euros are to be made available.
“Want to alleviate suffering”
The focus of UNRWA’s commitment in the southern Gaza Strip, which is financed with German development funds, is the permanent supply of drinking water to the civilian population, as well as hygiene and sanitation facilities in emergency shelters for people displaced within the Gaza Strip. “We see the great suffering of the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza and want to alleviate it,” emphasizes Schulze.
The Foreign Office, which deals with short-term humanitarian aid, announced on October 20 that Germany would increase its humanitarian aid for the people in the Palestinian territories by 50 million euros.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
