CAIRO, Oct 31 (KUNA) -- The Arab League on Thursday said that the role of a United Nations Agency aiding the Palestinians is "indispensable" until an independent Palestinian state is formed, underlining the need to allow the body to continue its regular operations.
There is no alternative to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) until the formation of an independent Palestinian state, based on 1967 border lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, the Cairo-based bloc unanimously declared in a decision amid an extraordinary meeting involving permanent delegates in the Egyptian capital.
The pan-Arab bloc deplored a string of Israeli decisions that were detrimental to the UN Palestinian aid agency, chiefly, efforts to impede UNRWA's work across Palestinian territories, saying such moves have been rendered null and void in line with international law and UN conventions that support the rights of Palestinian refugees.
The Arab League acknowledged the support given by its allies, including countries and organizations, calling them the "humanitarian arm" of the UN Palestinian agency, in the face of what it said were acts of "mass genocide" committed by Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinians, the diplomats agreed.
It went on to urge parliaments from across the wider Arab region to ramp up diplomacy as part of efforts to keep the UN Palestinian agency afloat, in addition to forcing Israel to backtrack on the decisions that adversely affect the works of the UN Palestinian aid body. (end) mfm.nam