ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan: The head of the UN refugee agency says the number of Syrian refugees being deported from Jordan to their war-ravaged homeland has “decreased dramatically” in recent months, in part because of his agency’s appeal for more careful reviews of cases.
Jordan is believed to have deported several thousand refugees since last year, mostly on security grounds. Rights groups say deportations often take place quickly, without a thorough investigation.
Refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi also told reporters during a tour of the Zaatari refugee camp Monday that only “a very small number” of about 15,000 Syrians left Jordan for Syria since 2016. He says “people don’t feel secure.”
Grandi called on the United States and other developed nations to reverse course and accept more of the most vulnerable Syrians for resettlement.
UN says deportations of Syrians from Jordan have dropped
UN says deportations of Syrians from Jordan have dropped
Israel issues over 3,000 tenders for E1 settlement in Jerusalem
- The settlement would divide the occupied West Bank, hindering the establishment of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state
LONDON: Israeli authorities have issued tenders for the construction of 3,401 settlement units in the area known as E1, east of Jerusalem.
Muayyad Shaban, head of the Commission against the Wall and Settlements, said Israeli authorities had transitioned from planning and approval to implementation of the E1 plan.
The settlement, if developed, would divide the occupied West Bank, hindering the establishment of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state.
After nearly 30 years of delay under intense international opposition to the plan, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved plans for 3,400 homes in E1 last August.
Shaban said E1 constituted “a highly dangerous escalation in the repercussions of the accelerated assault on Palestinian lands through colonial settlement plans.”
The plan would separate Jerusalem from surrounding Palestinian areas and connect the Maale Adumim settlement to the city, undermining the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state, he added.
In 2025, Israeli authorities issued plans for 10,098 new settlement units, marking an unprecedented increase in settlement tenders.
Over 7,000 units were allocated to Maale Adumim, along with 900 units for Efrat in Bethlehem and 700 for Ariel in Salfit, reflecting a push to deepen colonial control over Palestinian land, the Commission against the Wall and Settlements reported.
