The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan called today for an emergency meeting of the League of Arab States at the level of permanent delegates to discuss a joint Arab response to the dangerous illegal laws passed by the Israeli Knesset that ban the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and to discuss the steps necessary to take a unified Arab position rejecting these invalid Israeli laws and measures, and to mobilize international support to confront and invalidate them.

The official spokesman for the ministry, Ambassador Dr. Sufian Al-Qudah, said that the Jordanian ambassador in Cairo and the permanent representative to the Arab League were directed to address the General Secretariat of the League to hold an emergency meeting of the Council of the Arab League at the level of permanent representatives as soon as possible to discuss the mechanism of joint Arab action to confront these illegal laws.

Ambassador Al-Qudah stressed that this step comes within a series of measures and communications undertaken by the Kingdom and coordination with Arab brothers to confront the aggressive Israeli practices against the brotherly Palestinian people, warning of the disastrous consequences of the continuation of the campaign of false Israeli allegations and measures aimed at politically assassinating UNRWA and obstructing its efforts to provide its basic services and humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in light of the unprecedented catastrophe caused by the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the escalating measures in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The official spokesman also stressed Jordan's continued coordination with its Arab brothers to take all steps and measures to ensure the provision of protection to the brotherly Palestinian people, the United Nations organizations and relief agencies, especially UNRWA, which plays an indispensable and irreplaceable role.

The Ministry issued a statement yesterday condemning the Israeli Knesset's approval of draft laws banning UNRWA's activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.