The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed the European Parliament’s (EP) vote in its plenary session for the 2022 budget in favor of increasing the European Union’s €55 million aid provided to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) and lifting the ban on support from the European Commission, stressing the importance of this financial aid for the operation of the humanitarian UN agency.

It said in a statement that an overwhelming majority of 529 European deputies voted in favor of the recommendation, which led to its adoption in the Parliament, while the recommendation that called for withholding €23 million from the Agency was defeated by 354 voting against.

The Foreign Ministry stressed the importance of the role and services provided by UNRWA for the refugees in order to preserve their dignity in light of the difficult conditions in the region and Israel's denial of their legitimate rights, including their inalienable right for return in accordance with international law and resolutions, especially UN Resolution 194.

The Ministry said the EP deputies took the right step in supporting UNRWA that takes care of the 5.7 million Palestinian refugees.

The Foreign Ministry called on the deputies who voted to cut down on UNRWA’s support not to be drawn into the malicious Israeli campaigns aimed at liquidating the Palestinian refugee issue by suffocating UNRWA by defunding it to hide the biggest crime of the Israeli occupation of forcibly displacing and ethnically cleansing Palestinians since 1948.