Jordan blames Israel for seeking to “assassinate” UN Palestinian agency

AMMAN, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi lashed out at Israel on Tuesday for attempting to politically "assassinate" the United Nations (UN) agency that provides aid for the Palestinians, urging more support for the UN body. "This is something the world has become more aware of, and from here we see that many countries, despite all the accusations levelled at the agency, continue to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)," he told a joint press conference with the UN agency's Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. On his talks with the UNRWA chief, he said efforts to stop a "humanitarian catastrophe" from unfolding in the Gaza Strip and subsequently allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, took precedence over the rest of the matters discussed, underlining the need for similar gatherings to bring that goal to fruition. Discussing the situation in the West Bank, he said the agency's ability to carry out its role is being "besiege d at a time when Israel is also committing war crimes there," citing such actions as a clear violation of international law and a serious threat to efforts aiming to bring definitive peace to the Middle East, according to state-run PETRA news agency. Echoing the Jordanian minister's sentiments, the UNRWA chief spoke of the destruction triggered by the Israeli war against the Gaza Strip, lamenting the damage inflicted on the UN agency's facilities, calling it a "raging and blatant" aggression. Source: Kuwait News Agency