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AMMAN — The Palestinian refugees’ right of return remains an enduring and legitimate right, upheld despite decades of displacement, injustice and aggression, Director-General of the Department of Palestinian Affairs Rafiq Khirfan said on Saturday.
Marking World Refugee Day, Khirfan said the international community should continue to recognise this right, 77 years after the displacement of more than 9 million Palestinian refugees within and outside Palestine.
He said that Jordan, under its Hashemite leadership, remains steadfast in its support for the Palestinian cause in all its dimensions, with the refugee issue remaining one of its most central and enduring pillars, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
He stressed the need to intensify efforts at the local, Arab and international levels to support Jordan’s 13 Palestinian refugee camps, as part of the Kingdom’s continued backing of the Palestinian cause.
Khirfan said that this commitment has been reflected in numerous Royal initiatives and ongoing efforts to address the needs of camp residents and improve services across various sectors.
He noted that Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, continues to mobilise political, financial and moral support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to enable it to continue delivering services without interruption.
He said that this support is particularly important amid continued Israeli efforts to target the agency, undermine its credibility through allegations and incitement, and reduce its funding, with the aim of weakening its role as a witness to the Palestinian refugee issue.
Khirfan added that this year’s World Refugee Day comes amid continued regional instability and escalating challenges facing Palestinians, including ongoing violations, expanding settlement activity and repeated incursions into refugee camps in the occupied West Bank.
He said that the war has turned Gaza into what resembles a vast refugee camp, forcing repeated displacement under harsh humanitarian conditions, as part of efforts aimed at pushing Palestinians off their land.
Khirfan stressed that Jordan firmly rejects displacement, resettlement, and any attempts to undermine the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination or the refugees’ right of return, which he described as an inalienable right.
He added that continued disregard for the Palestinian refugees’ right of return reflects failure to implement relevant UN resolutions, noting that the United Nations designated June 20 as World Refugee Day to raise awareness of the plight of refugees and promote international support.
According to UNHCR figures, the number of refugees worldwide stands at around 42.7 million, while nearly 6 million Palestine refugees are registered with UNRWA, 42 per cent of whom reside in Jordan.
