The Palestinian Cause Returns to the Forefront

Report: 16 to 25 May 2021

Heavy smoke and fire rise from the Sharouk tower as it collapses after being hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on May 12. MOHAMMED ABED/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Apart from Egypt, the region is still tumbling on as pre-covid economic problems deter countries from launching a full recovery campaign. Anti-corruption slogans are being used by officials to rally people behind them. So far, they have proven to be nothing more than a theatrical performance. Meanwhile, war raged in Palestine, inflicting massive damages to property and infrastructure, and resulting in more displaced people and socioeconomic burdens.

1- The socio-economic situation

Egypt

Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:

-254,984 corona confirmed cases

-187,446 recovered

-14,766 deaths

Express trains project will serve all sectors of Egypt’s economy and society: Ministry. Photo credit: www.egyptindependent.com

Throughout this month, Egypt continued to move in the direction of a modernized country. The Ministry of Transport unveiled its express trains project that will benefit all of Egypt and its various sectors. This means that once the project is done, Egypt will be able to transport tons of products across the country, while minimizing transportation and energy costs, during a lesser time period. Moreover, the foreign companies behind the project, plan to employ Egyptian labor which will not be less than 90 percent.

On the socioeconomic front, Egypt is attempting to pursue western models by introducing progressive policies. For instance, the President of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC), Ibrahim Al-Arabi issued a decision to establish a committee for businesswomen in an attempt to empower women and to contribute to achieving a set of economic and social goals that are in line with Egypt’s vision for economic growth 2030. Such a committee would provide all the technical and financial assistance women require to start their very own enterprises.

Jordan

Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:

-731,436 corona confirmed cases

-711,614 recovered

-9,384 deaths

Jordan has been seriously affected by the covid-19 pandemic as many livelihoods were affected.Photo credit: www.alaraby.co.uk/

A government report, as reported by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, showed that the Corona crisis will cause severe and unprecedented damage to the Jordanian economy for many years. This will be demonstrated by a contraction of the gross domestic product, a large increase in indebtedness, a decline in local revenues, and an increase in pressure on the public budget, the news agency reported. While this is nothing new to the average Jordanian citizens, as

Despite the implementation of all the conditions, instructions and programs issued by the International Monetary Fund, represented in the qualitative elimination of fuel subsidies, the reduction of tax exemptions for businesses, and the government's attempts to contain spending in the water and energy sectors, Jordan still retains high public debt. As such, Jordanian decision makers will have to think outside the box and consider other means to solve such a burden. 

Iraq

Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:

-1,172,042 corona confirmed cases

-1,086,612 recovered

-16,214 deaths

Salih discussed a draft law aiming to recover the proceeds of corruption, saying the law must allow pre-emptive and deterrent measures, as well as subsequent steps to recover stolen funds Photo credit: arabnews.com

The Iraqi President Barham Salih, in a speech against corruption, claimed that the country had lost 1 trillion dollars since the US invasion in 2003. His declaration came during a phase where the surprisingly oil-producing nation is struggling with several socioeconomic woes. Moreover, an anti-corruption committee had arrested a number of officials and employees in Iraq for misusing public funds, early in April. Also, many political figures were banned from leaving the country. Such developments are truly impressive, especially during a time when several regional investors are injecting more of their resources into Iraq. This will lead us to pose the following question: Is Iraq ready to challenge those that had cheated the Iraqi people? Will there be any implications at the security level? Are those carrying the anti-corruption which hunt, of high values and moral? The coming months should have the answers we need.

Lebanon

Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:

-538,668 corona confirmed cases

-511,931recovered

-7,684 deaths

Lebanese bank notes being counted. Photo by: IMF / CC BY-NC-ND

While the Interntational community fails to pressure or coearce Lebanon’s decision makers to speed up government formation, the economy continues to melt. The end of May is yet another deadline for the further inflation in prices; Lebanese are bracing themselves for a substantial increase in cost of living. Already, international donnors and Humanitarian Aid groups have poured millions of U.S. dollars into this cash-strapped sink hole, as the cost of living conitinues to increase. Although the Governor of BDL launched a plaform that aims to stabilize the value of the dollar to the Lebanese Pound, at the end of the day, prices kept fluctuating in the Black Market.

Moreover, the country is under a threat of more power cuts, as the Lebanese government and Turkey’s Karadeniz which supplies the country with electricity, are locking horns over a legal issue. The Turkish company threatened it will shut down supplies unless Beirut halts legal action to seize its power barges and sorts out arrears.

Palestine

Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:

-305,777 corona confirmed cases

-298,502 recovered

-3,470 deaths

At least 122 Palestinians have lost their lives in one  week as Israel's assault on Gaza has intensified [File: Mohammed Salem/Reuters]

The conflict between Palestine and Israel occupied international news during this month. Both entities bombarded one another for 11 days, inflicting severe structural and civilian losses. Palestine did sustain more than 200 civilian losses but was proud to declare victory; it withstood artillery, naval, and air bombardment using the most modern equipment in the world while inflicting $368m USD in structural damage. Moreover, most of the international media were lined up behind Palestine against Israel; especially with Israeli targeting of the building which housed international media. At the end of the day, Palestine emerged as a hero in the eyes of the world and Israel as the villain. As such, Natenyahu and those backing him are in real trouble; they will have to now face international and local scrutiny.

Syria

Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:

-24,187 corona confirmed cases

-21,560 recovered

-1,740 deaths

Students march in support of President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo last week. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

During Syria’s election period, the country continues to face unprecedented economic and social pressure. Economy is at the forefront of campaigns for Syria’s upcoming presidential election reflecting the overriding concerns of Syrians who are struggling to get by amid soaring inflation and impoverishment. The Syrian government faces an uphill struggle to secure enough wheat this year as expectations of a smaller harvest intensify competition for the crop with the rival Kurdish-led administration in the northeast of the country.

On the geopolitical front, Syria remains landlocked by competing regional forces. International diplomacy, so far, has done little to support ending the war. Nevertheless, the U.N. special envoy for Syria says key global players are interested in stepped-up international diplomacy to “unlock progress” toward ending the country’s 10-year war.

Cyprus

Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:

-72,011 corona confirmed cases

-66,557 recovered

-356 deaths

The government plans to encourage the use of electric cars with an incentive scheme, the withdrawal of older, more polluting vehicles, and infrastructure development.

According to George Syricha, former executive director and board member of the Central Bank of Cyprus, currently advisor to the Economic Research Centre, University of Cyprus, the Cyprus economy will rebound rather strongly once it emerges out of lockdown, but not dramatically. Despite the words “not dramatically” as contrary to what the government was hoping for, it was best Eurozone performer since it had quarterly GDP growth of 2% in Q1. Bearing this good news in mind, Cyprus seeks to get into head start with new projects Cyprus needs. For instance, will allocate over €1 bln for a speedy transition to a Green economy built on renewable energy over the next five years.

2- The refugee situation

Egypt                                                            

• Palestinian Ambassador to Cairo Diab al-Louh, via a TV address, claimed that localizing Palestinian refugees in any other spot in the world is refutable either. He added that there are currently 6.5 million Palestinian refugees, and that those must return and get compensated.[1]

Jordan

The UNHCR states that there are currently 665,834 registered refugees in Jordan up until the beginning of May.

The proportion of Syrian displaced people registered within the UNHCR for May, are distributed as follows:

-196,230 in Amman Governorate (29.5 %)

-165,564 in Mafraq Governorate (24.9%)

-136,462 in Irbid Governorate (20.6%)

-97,292 in Zarqa Governorate (14.6%)

-18,341 in Balqa Governorate (2.8%)

-13,136 in Madaba Governorate (2%)

-9,342 in Jarash Governorate (1.4%)

-8,552 in Karak Governorate (1.3%)

-8,319 in Maan Governorate (1.3%)

-6,499 in Ajlun Governorate (1.0%)

-3,748 in Aqaba Governorate (0.6%)

-1,694 in Tafilah Governorate (0.3%)

• UAE launches vaccination program for 12,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan aiming to vaccinate refugees in the Emirati-Jordanian camp of Mrajeeb Al Fhood, as well as the camps of Zaatari, Al Azraq and Al Hadiqa.[2]

• The Republic of Korea decided to make a contribution of $500,000 towards UNFPA Jordan for the provision of integrated comprehensive SRH and GBV interventions for populations affected by the Syria Crisis in Jordan at three women and girls safe spaces (WGSS) in Dair Alla, East Amman and Madaba in Jordan.[3]

Iraq

The UNHCR states that there are currently 245,953 registered Syrian refugees in Iraq.

The proportion of displaced Syrian people registered within the UNHCR up until the beginning of May, are distributed as follows:

-125,067 in Erbil (50.9%)

-84,502 in Dahuk (34.4%)

-32,180 in Sulaymaniyah (13.1%)

-1,408 in Anbar (0.6%)

-2,796 in other areas (0.9%)[4]

• Emirates Red Crescent starts first phase of COVID vaccination program for refugees, displaced people in Iraq. 15,000 Iraqi displaced people and Syrian refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan will benefit from this.[5]

• Organization for Migration (IOM) in Iraq helped 18 families rebuild their destroyed homes in West Mosul with generous from Qatar Charity.[6]

Lebanon

Since March, the number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon is 865,531.

Refugees in Lebanon are distributed as follows:

-334,668 in Bekaa (39.1%)

-230,601 in North Lebanon (27%)

-197,410 in Beirut (23.1%)

-92,493 in South Lebanon (10.8%)[7]

• Lebanese police claimed that they had stopped an attempt to smuggle 51 Syrians to neighboring Cyprus during May.[8]

• Syrian refugees in Lebanon have been pressured to cast their vote abroad in the upcoming presidential elections, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported.[9]

• The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Lebanon, with support from UNICEF, the European Union, and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) is launching its new Referral Information Management (RIMS) website in its continuing effort to strengthen access to multi-sectoral services for vulnerable populations in the country.[10]

Syria

• In addition to the challenges that all Syrians have faced during a 10-year conflict, women have experienced sexual and gender-based violence, early and forced marriage and trafficking, the country’s UN envoy told the Security Council on Wednesday 28 April.[11]

• Millions of children trapped in protracted conflict in Syria continue to endure severe violence with little support for survivors, according to the UN Secretary-General’s third report on the situation.[12]

• Hostilities flare in NE Syria forcing 20,000 to flee Qamishli city.[13]

• In the Northwest, for now, demand for vaccines far outstrips supply: in Idlib and the surrounding area alone, 3 million residents live in dire humanitarian conditions, and social distancing and other measures to contain the disease are hard to implement.[14]

• In the northeast of the country, the only Covid-19 laboratory is likely to run out of testing kits in the next seven days, while new cases are surging. More than 5,300 cases have been confirmed in the area in April alone, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) – more than half of the total for the whole of 2020. Currently, more than 47% of tests are coming back positive.

Cyprus

• A boat with 56 migrants on board was spotted off the coast of Cyprus on Sunday. The Cypriot authorities checked the documents of people on board at sea and then asked the group to return to Lebanon from where they had set off.[15]

• Interior Minister Nicos Nouris claimed that Cyprus is in a State of Emergency in trying to deal with a steady influx of boats from Syria arriving with refugees fleeing that country's long-running war and still hoping for asylum in an European Union country.[16]

Communication and Public Relations Department

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[1] Egypt Today, May 24, 2021, https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/104248/Egypt-is-only-foreign-state-allowed-to-intervene-in-Palestinian

[2] https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/coronavirus-uae-launches-vaccination-programme-for-12-000-syrian-refugees-in-jordan-1.1228907

[3]Jordan Times, May 3, 2021, https://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/unfpa-jordan-welcomes-korean-contribution-support-syrian-refugees-affected-populations

[4] https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria/location/5

[5] OCHA, May 17, 2021,https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/emirates-red-crescent-starts-first-phase-covid-vaccination-programme-refugees-displaced

[6] OCHA, May 24, 2021, https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/war-destroyed-houses-reconstructed-vulnerable-families-mosul-iom-iraq-qatar-charity

[7] https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria/location/71

[8] Info Migrants, May 10, 2021,https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/32094/lebanon-stops-51-syrians-from-crossing-to-cyprus-by-sea

[9] La Prensa Latina, May 20, 2021, https://www.laprensalatina.com/syrian-refugees-in-lebanon-pressured-to-vote-says-unhcr/

[10] Relief Web, May 19, 2021,https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/danish-refugee-council-lebanon-launches-new-referral-information-management-system

[11] UN, https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090852

[12] UN, May 19, 2021, https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090852

[13] https://news.un.org/en/tags/syria

[14] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/29/millions-at-risk-from-covid-surge-in-syria-amid-test-and-oxygen-shortages

[15]Info Migrants, May 17, 2021, https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/32269/sent-back-56-migrants-were-refused-entry-to-cyprus-at-the-weekend

[16] The National Herald, May 23, 2021, https://www.thenationalherald.com/archive_general_news_cyprus/arthro/cyprus_warns_eu_the_island_can_t_deal_with_syrian_refugee_hordes-2505155/