Foreign Affairs and Expatriates: We Reject All Terminology That Attempts to Fragment Palestinian Geography and Demography

SadaNews - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine affirmed the important role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in protecting and assisting Palestinian refugees, and in education, healthcare, social protection, and emergency assistance that enhances refugees' self-reliance and preserves their dignity in all their places of existence, including the Gaza Strip and all the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and in the refugee camps in the neighboring host countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that UNRWA was established by an international decision with a clear mandate, and that its work is welcomed in the State of Palestine. It called for UNRWA to continue its operations in the Palestinian territories, considering it a lifeline that is irreplaceable and a factor of stability.

The Ministry expressed its rejection of any statements that undermine the role of UNRWA without addressing the root causes of the suffering endured by Palestinian refugees and the Palestinian people, embodied in ending the long-term Israeli colonial occupation and achieving inalienable rights, foremost among them the rights of refugees based on Resolution 194.

It also rejected all terminology that attempts to fragment Palestinian geography and demography, such as the term "New Gaza" which seeks to isolate the Gaza Strip from its natural context or the term "People of Gaza," emphasizing that the Palestinian people is one unified entity in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, including Jerusalem, the diaspora, and in all places of their existence, and that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the territory of the occupied State of Palestine.

At the same time, it reminded that the State of Palestine welcomed the plan of U.S. President Donald Trump and Security Council Resolution 2803, as well as the establishment of the Palestinian transitional administrative committee that coordinates its work with Mr. Mladenov and the liaison office of the Palestinian government.

The Ministry emphasized that rights cannot be exchanged for humanitarian assistance, and that sovereignty and authority over the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, belong to the Palestinian people and their leadership, appreciating the steadfast international support for UNRWA and its renewed mandate until a just and lasting solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees is reached, in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

It called on all countries, institutions, and entities to respect UNRWA's mandate, privileges, and immunities under the United Nations Convention on the Privileges and Immunities, which stipulates that UNRWA shall be protected by the member states of the United Nations, and to respect the sanctity of its buildings, including in the occupied Palestinian territories.