RAMALLAH: The Refugee Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs discussed ways to counter the Israeli occupation authorities’ targeting of the UNRWA-run Qalandia Institute for Vocational Training and attempts to evacuate it.

The meeting held today on Wednesday also tackled the repercussions and dangers of targeting the Qalandia Institute by the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem, by issuing an order demanding UNRWA evacuate the institute located near the Qalandia refugee camp, and through the imposition of retroactive operating fees worth NIS 17 million.

Attempts to evacuate the institute came following incitement and an official request made by the deputy mayor of the occupation municipality, Aryeh King, under the pretext that the land on which the institute is located does not belong to UNRWA but belongs to the so-called Israel Land Authority.

The meeting emphasized the intensification of efforts, and the creation of a crisis c
ell comprising several parties to tackle the political and legal dimensions of the institute’s crisis, in addition to emphasizing the need to contain a greater number of applicants for vocational education to deter the futile attempts of the occupation municipality to evacuate it.

The meeting said that the targeting of the institute has pure political dimensions, which is part of the all-out occupation’s targeting of UNRWA, with the aim of undermining its work to end the issue or refugees.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA