13 sept 2019
This file picture shows a general view of Ha'er Prison in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian authorities have reportedly arrested dozens of Jordanian nationals on charges of collecting and sending donations to impoverished Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Mustafa al-Assaf, a spokesman for the Reform parliamentary bloc – which represents the opposition in the parliament, told Arabic-language al-Khaleej Online news website on Thursday that officials in the conservative kingdom have conducted the arrest campaign against 60 Jordanians, despite the fact that they have lived in the country for many years without a criminal record or causing any security concerns.
Earlier, former Jordanian parliamentarian Hind al-Fayez and journalist Helmi al-Asmar had broken the news of Saudi authorities arresting 60 Jordanian citizens, including pilgrims, without charge or trial being leaked.
Fayez said the families of the detainees have been staging protests in front of the Saudi embassy in the Jordanian capital city of Amman to demand the immediate release of their loved ones.
“The Reform parliamentary bloc has followed up the issue of Jordanian detainees in Saudi prisons, and addressed the issue to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates several times, and the response was that it communicates with Saudi authorities,” Assaf said.
He added that arrested Jordanian citizens were collecting donations for people in the Gaza Strip with the knowledge and approval of Saudi officials, and were not doing anything other than that.
On Saturday, the Euro-Mediterranean for Human Rights Monitor, an independent, nonprofit rights organization, announced in a statement that dozens of Palestinians have forcibly disappeared in Saudi Arabia and their fates remain unknown.
The Swiss-based rights group noted that it was unable to give the exact number of the Palestinians who have forcibly disappeared in Saudi Arabia, but said it had the names of some 60 Palestinians who had met that fate.
The Palestinian community in Saudi Arabia believes that the real number of the abductees is far higher.
The Euro-Med said the Palestinians in question — among whom are students, residents, businessmen, and academics — have been completely isolated from the outside world without any indictments against them.
They have not been brought before public prosecution, nor allowed to communicate with their relatives or lawyers, it added.
Over the past two years, Saudi authorities have deported more than 100 Palestinians from the kingdom, mostly on charges of supporting Hamas resistance movement financially, politically or through social networking sites.
The Riyadh regime has imposed strict control over Palestinian funds in Saudi Arabia since the end of 2017.
All remittances of Palestinian expatriates are being tightly controlled, fearing that these funds could be diverted indirectly and through other countries to Hamas.
Money transfer offices are asking the Palestinians to bring forward strong arguments for conversion, and do not allow the ceiling of one’s money transfer to exceed $3,000.
Saudi Arabian authorities have reportedly arrested dozens of Jordanian nationals on charges of collecting and sending donations to impoverished Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Mustafa al-Assaf, a spokesman for the Reform parliamentary bloc – which represents the opposition in the parliament, told Arabic-language al-Khaleej Online news website on Thursday that officials in the conservative kingdom have conducted the arrest campaign against 60 Jordanians, despite the fact that they have lived in the country for many years without a criminal record or causing any security concerns.
Earlier, former Jordanian parliamentarian Hind al-Fayez and journalist Helmi al-Asmar had broken the news of Saudi authorities arresting 60 Jordanian citizens, including pilgrims, without charge or trial being leaked.
Fayez said the families of the detainees have been staging protests in front of the Saudi embassy in the Jordanian capital city of Amman to demand the immediate release of their loved ones.
“The Reform parliamentary bloc has followed up the issue of Jordanian detainees in Saudi prisons, and addressed the issue to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates several times, and the response was that it communicates with Saudi authorities,” Assaf said.
He added that arrested Jordanian citizens were collecting donations for people in the Gaza Strip with the knowledge and approval of Saudi officials, and were not doing anything other than that.
On Saturday, the Euro-Mediterranean for Human Rights Monitor, an independent, nonprofit rights organization, announced in a statement that dozens of Palestinians have forcibly disappeared in Saudi Arabia and their fates remain unknown.
The Swiss-based rights group noted that it was unable to give the exact number of the Palestinians who have forcibly disappeared in Saudi Arabia, but said it had the names of some 60 Palestinians who had met that fate.
The Palestinian community in Saudi Arabia believes that the real number of the abductees is far higher.
The Euro-Med said the Palestinians in question — among whom are students, residents, businessmen, and academics — have been completely isolated from the outside world without any indictments against them.
They have not been brought before public prosecution, nor allowed to communicate with their relatives or lawyers, it added.
Over the past two years, Saudi authorities have deported more than 100 Palestinians from the kingdom, mostly on charges of supporting Hamas resistance movement financially, politically or through social networking sites.
The Riyadh regime has imposed strict control over Palestinian funds in Saudi Arabia since the end of 2017.
All remittances of Palestinian expatriates are being tightly controlled, fearing that these funds could be diverted indirectly and through other countries to Hamas.
Money transfer offices are asking the Palestinians to bring forward strong arguments for conversion, and do not allow the ceiling of one’s money transfer to exceed $3,000.
26 aug 2019
Jordan on Monday strongly denounced the Israeli occupation authority for summoning Mohamed al-Khatib, director general of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, as part of its arbitrary measures against Islamic Awqaf employees in the holy city.
This came in a statement released by the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs following a phone conversation between minister Abdul-Naser Abul-Basal and Mohamed al-Khatib.
During the past few months, the Israeli occupation police detained and summoned many Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem Awqaf employees and officials as well as worshipers and handed them written orders banishing them from the Mosque for different periods of time.
According to the Jordanian Ministry’s statement, Abu Basal expressed his rejection of the police summons that had been issued against the Jerusalem Waqf director, affirming that he and all Islamic Awqaf employees work for Jordan and represent the Hashemite custodianship of the Aqsa Mosque.
The Jordanian minister also deplored the daily desecration of the Aqsa Mosque by Jewish settlers and Israeli officials, stressing the need for stopping all practices that provoke the Muslim nation’s feelings.
He also condemned Israel’s interference in the affairs of the Aqsa Mosque’s Bab al-Rahma prayer area as “a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms” that affirm that the Mosque belongs solely to the Muslim nation.
This came in a statement released by the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs following a phone conversation between minister Abdul-Naser Abul-Basal and Mohamed al-Khatib.
During the past few months, the Israeli occupation police detained and summoned many Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem Awqaf employees and officials as well as worshipers and handed them written orders banishing them from the Mosque for different periods of time.
According to the Jordanian Ministry’s statement, Abu Basal expressed his rejection of the police summons that had been issued against the Jerusalem Waqf director, affirming that he and all Islamic Awqaf employees work for Jordan and represent the Hashemite custodianship of the Aqsa Mosque.
The Jordanian minister also deplored the daily desecration of the Aqsa Mosque by Jewish settlers and Israeli officials, stressing the need for stopping all practices that provoke the Muslim nation’s feelings.
He also condemned Israel’s interference in the affairs of the Aqsa Mosque’s Bab al-Rahma prayer area as “a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms” that affirm that the Mosque belongs solely to the Muslim nation.
20 aug 2019
Jordanian lawmakers have called on the government to expel Israel’s ambassador and review a 1994 peace treaty with Tel Aviv in protest at the regime’s recent provocations and violation of international law at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
During an emergency parliamentary session attended by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman on Monday, members of the House of Representative discussed 17 non-binding recommendations on Amman’s relations with Tel Aviv, Jordan’s Al-Mamlaka TV reported.
The recommendations included “expelling the ambassador of the Zionist entity in Amman,” closing the Israeli embassy, recalling Jordan’s ambassador to Tel Aviv, halting “all forms of normalization,” reviewing the 1994 peace treaty, affirming the size of the 144-dunam Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, backing Jordan’s continued custodianship of the holy site, and rejecting an Israeli plot to divide the sacred area into Muslim-only and Jewish-only sections.
Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab countries that have formal relations with the regime in Israel.
On August 11, which marked the Muslim occasion of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice), Israeli forces attacked Palestinian worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, prompting violent clashes at the site.
The violence erupted after Israeli policemen fired stun grenades and tear gas at the Palestinians who had finished their Eid prayers at the compound, allowing, in a rare move, Israeli settlers to enter the holy site to mark the fasting and mourning day of Tisha B’Av.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the clashes had left 61 Palestinians wounded.
Two days after the confrontations, Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said that he believes the status quo at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound should be changed to allow Israelis to pray there.
He also estimated that 1,729 Israelis had entered the compound on August 11.
Speaking at Monday’s parliamentary session, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stressed his country’s “unwavering position” on Israeli-occupied Jerusalem al-Quds as a redline, adding that protecting Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied city is a “responsibility” of Amman.
Jordan, he added, “will do its utmost to protect the holy sites and face the futile Israeli actions targeting them.
We condemn the Israeli occupation authorities’ provocative practices and ongoing violation of international law, as well as their attempts change the historical and legal situation in occupied Jerusalem and its holy sites.”
The top Jordanian diplomat also warned that Israel’s actions will “aggravate the conflict, increase tensions and lead to an explosion, thus threatening international peace and security.”
Meanwhile, House of Representatives Speaker Atef Tarawneh called an informal voice vote to accept the recommendations, after which many MPs shouted their agreement.
He further urged the government to relay a message to Israel that “peace is threatened in light of its continued aggression against Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque.”
After the meeting, Yahya al-Saud, head of the parliament’s Palestine committee, said the lawmakers had agreed to hold a sit-in at the Allenby Bridge, which connects the occupied West Bank with Jordan, on Friday.
On Sunday, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman and asked him to convey a message to the Tel Aviv regime that it “must immediately cease all violations and attempts aimed at changing the historical and legal situation in the holy compound.”
On the same day, Safadi met with European Union representatives to “stress urgency of effective int’l steps against Israeli violations of holy sites in occupied Jerusalem (al-Quds).”
The Jewish visitation of al-Aqsa is permitted, but, according to an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government after Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem (al-Quds) in 1967, non-Muslim worship at the compound is prohibited.
During an emergency parliamentary session attended by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman on Monday, members of the House of Representative discussed 17 non-binding recommendations on Amman’s relations with Tel Aviv, Jordan’s Al-Mamlaka TV reported.
The recommendations included “expelling the ambassador of the Zionist entity in Amman,” closing the Israeli embassy, recalling Jordan’s ambassador to Tel Aviv, halting “all forms of normalization,” reviewing the 1994 peace treaty, affirming the size of the 144-dunam Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, backing Jordan’s continued custodianship of the holy site, and rejecting an Israeli plot to divide the sacred area into Muslim-only and Jewish-only sections.
Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab countries that have formal relations with the regime in Israel.
On August 11, which marked the Muslim occasion of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice), Israeli forces attacked Palestinian worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, prompting violent clashes at the site.
The violence erupted after Israeli policemen fired stun grenades and tear gas at the Palestinians who had finished their Eid prayers at the compound, allowing, in a rare move, Israeli settlers to enter the holy site to mark the fasting and mourning day of Tisha B’Av.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the clashes had left 61 Palestinians wounded.
Two days after the confrontations, Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said that he believes the status quo at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound should be changed to allow Israelis to pray there.
He also estimated that 1,729 Israelis had entered the compound on August 11.
Speaking at Monday’s parliamentary session, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stressed his country’s “unwavering position” on Israeli-occupied Jerusalem al-Quds as a redline, adding that protecting Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied city is a “responsibility” of Amman.
Jordan, he added, “will do its utmost to protect the holy sites and face the futile Israeli actions targeting them.
We condemn the Israeli occupation authorities’ provocative practices and ongoing violation of international law, as well as their attempts change the historical and legal situation in occupied Jerusalem and its holy sites.”
The top Jordanian diplomat also warned that Israel’s actions will “aggravate the conflict, increase tensions and lead to an explosion, thus threatening international peace and security.”
Meanwhile, House of Representatives Speaker Atef Tarawneh called an informal voice vote to accept the recommendations, after which many MPs shouted their agreement.
He further urged the government to relay a message to Israel that “peace is threatened in light of its continued aggression against Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque.”
After the meeting, Yahya al-Saud, head of the parliament’s Palestine committee, said the lawmakers had agreed to hold a sit-in at the Allenby Bridge, which connects the occupied West Bank with Jordan, on Friday.
On Sunday, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Israeli ambassador to Amman and asked him to convey a message to the Tel Aviv regime that it “must immediately cease all violations and attempts aimed at changing the historical and legal situation in the holy compound.”
On the same day, Safadi met with European Union representatives to “stress urgency of effective int’l steps against Israeli violations of holy sites in occupied Jerusalem (al-Quds).”
The Jewish visitation of al-Aqsa is permitted, but, according to an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government after Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem (al-Quds) in 1967, non-Muslim worship at the compound is prohibited.
14 aug 2019
Petra site of halted Jordanian film
Fears sparked by the film were stoked earlier this month when video emerged of Jewish visitors praying in a shrine said to be the burial place of Moses’ brother Aaron, near Petra.
A fictional caper about an antiquities heist set in an ancient Jordanian city has stirred widespread outrage over the film’s portrayal of historical Jewish ties to Jordan, shining a light on the tenuous peace with neighboring Israel and prompting the government to suspend the movie’s production.
Based on a book of the same name, the movie, “Jaber,” follows a Jordanian boy who uncovers a stone in the rose-colored, rock-hewn city of Petra with a Hebrew inscription on it.
He sets off to sell it to the highest bidder, but interested parties in Israel catch wind of the find, dispatching a Russian organized crime group to pursue the boy and retrieve the stone at any cost.
Opponents of the film say merely discussing a historical Jewish presence in Jordan could open the door to Israeli territorial claims to the Hashemite Kingdom.
They point to Israel’s claims over the West Bank and east Jerusalem — war-won territories sought by the Palestinians — which Israel says are rooted in millennia-old Jewish ties, backed up by archaeological finds.
While such a scenario is unlikely in Jordan, the concerns reflect the hostility Jordanians feel toward Israel despite the two countries’ 1994 peace agreement.
“Any talk about Jewish history in Jordan could lead to political claims,” said Ali Elayan, who was slated to play a Jordanian police officer in the movie but withdrew over his opposition to the plot. “That is what happened in Palestine.”
Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem, then under Jordanian control, in the 1967 Mideast war.
The Palestinians seek the West Bank for their future state, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Since signing the landmark peace accord, Israel and Jordan have developed low-key yet strategic ties on energy, water and security.
But the relationship has been tested in recent years. Last year, Jordan’s King Abdullah II decided not to renew parts of the peace deal regarding access to farming land.
And two years ago, a diplomatic crisis was sparked when a guard at the Israeli Embassy in Amman opened fire after he said he was attacked with a screw driver, killing two Jordanians.
Israel swapped out its ambassador to the kingdom and expressed “deep regret” over the incident. The guard, who claimed self-defense, received a hero’s welcome in Israel, infuriating the Jordanians.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the controversy surrounding the film.
While there is ample archaeological evidence of a Jewish presence in Jordan, only an extreme-right fringe of Israeli society seeks both banks of the Jordan River as part of Israel.
An overwhelming majority of Israelis make no claim to Jordanian land and place high value on the peace accord.
Ordinary Jordanians — many of whom are Palestinian refugees or have ties to Palestinians — view Israel with animosity.
The movie was set to begin filming this month when actors began dropping out over the script and taking to social media to air their criticisms, sparking a public outcry.
Seizing on the wave of public opinion against the movie, the government demanded that the director, Muhyiedeen Qandour, halt filming until an official commission studies the script and delivers recommendations on it. It is unclear how long that may take.
Qandour told The Associated Press that the film bears no political undertones. He rejected criticism that it invites Israeli territorial claims.
“Many civilizations passed through historical Jordan. You don’t see them now returning to claim parts of the country because they were here once in the past,” he said. “The argument made by some about the movie is simply naive and even childish.”
But opponents are still skeptical.
“We are not against Jews as Jews but we are against Israel as an occupying power which uses religion to take others’ land,” said Sari al-Asaad, the former head of the Jordanian Actors Association, who opposed the movie and lobbied to derail it.
Israeli nationalists have pointed to biblical history and archaeological discoveries to back up their claim to the West Bank, a territory Israel views as “disputed” and whose fate should be determined in peace talks.
The Palestinians have accused Israel of exploiting the Bible and ignoring other religions’ ties to the region to grab land.
Israel in turn accuses the Palestinians of denying a Jewish connection to the region to strengthen its own claim.
Fears sparked by the film were stoked earlier this month when video emerged of Jewish visitors praying in a shrine said to be the burial place of Moses’ brother Aaron, located near Petra.
Jordan shuttered the site upon discovery of the videos and ordered an investigation into the incident, according to the official Jordanian news agency Petra.
Clashes between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police at a key Jerusalem shrine holy to Muslims and Jews over the weekend have only bolstered critics of the film.
The east Jerusalem holy site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is administered by an Islamic trust under Jordanian stewardship.
“The government and the people in Jordan are unhappy with the relationship with Israel on a number of levels,” said Daoud Kuttab, an Amman-based analyst. “Usually Jordanian officials try to defuse the tension, but this time they didn’t.”
Fears sparked by the film were stoked earlier this month when video emerged of Jewish visitors praying in a shrine said to be the burial place of Moses’ brother Aaron, near Petra.
A fictional caper about an antiquities heist set in an ancient Jordanian city has stirred widespread outrage over the film’s portrayal of historical Jewish ties to Jordan, shining a light on the tenuous peace with neighboring Israel and prompting the government to suspend the movie’s production.
Based on a book of the same name, the movie, “Jaber,” follows a Jordanian boy who uncovers a stone in the rose-colored, rock-hewn city of Petra with a Hebrew inscription on it.
He sets off to sell it to the highest bidder, but interested parties in Israel catch wind of the find, dispatching a Russian organized crime group to pursue the boy and retrieve the stone at any cost.
Opponents of the film say merely discussing a historical Jewish presence in Jordan could open the door to Israeli territorial claims to the Hashemite Kingdom.
They point to Israel’s claims over the West Bank and east Jerusalem — war-won territories sought by the Palestinians — which Israel says are rooted in millennia-old Jewish ties, backed up by archaeological finds.
While such a scenario is unlikely in Jordan, the concerns reflect the hostility Jordanians feel toward Israel despite the two countries’ 1994 peace agreement.
“Any talk about Jewish history in Jordan could lead to political claims,” said Ali Elayan, who was slated to play a Jordanian police officer in the movie but withdrew over his opposition to the plot. “That is what happened in Palestine.”
Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem, then under Jordanian control, in the 1967 Mideast war.
The Palestinians seek the West Bank for their future state, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Since signing the landmark peace accord, Israel and Jordan have developed low-key yet strategic ties on energy, water and security.
But the relationship has been tested in recent years. Last year, Jordan’s King Abdullah II decided not to renew parts of the peace deal regarding access to farming land.
And two years ago, a diplomatic crisis was sparked when a guard at the Israeli Embassy in Amman opened fire after he said he was attacked with a screw driver, killing two Jordanians.
Israel swapped out its ambassador to the kingdom and expressed “deep regret” over the incident. The guard, who claimed self-defense, received a hero’s welcome in Israel, infuriating the Jordanians.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the controversy surrounding the film.
While there is ample archaeological evidence of a Jewish presence in Jordan, only an extreme-right fringe of Israeli society seeks both banks of the Jordan River as part of Israel.
An overwhelming majority of Israelis make no claim to Jordanian land and place high value on the peace accord.
Ordinary Jordanians — many of whom are Palestinian refugees or have ties to Palestinians — view Israel with animosity.
The movie was set to begin filming this month when actors began dropping out over the script and taking to social media to air their criticisms, sparking a public outcry.
Seizing on the wave of public opinion against the movie, the government demanded that the director, Muhyiedeen Qandour, halt filming until an official commission studies the script and delivers recommendations on it. It is unclear how long that may take.
Qandour told The Associated Press that the film bears no political undertones. He rejected criticism that it invites Israeli territorial claims.
“Many civilizations passed through historical Jordan. You don’t see them now returning to claim parts of the country because they were here once in the past,” he said. “The argument made by some about the movie is simply naive and even childish.”
But opponents are still skeptical.
“We are not against Jews as Jews but we are against Israel as an occupying power which uses religion to take others’ land,” said Sari al-Asaad, the former head of the Jordanian Actors Association, who opposed the movie and lobbied to derail it.
Israeli nationalists have pointed to biblical history and archaeological discoveries to back up their claim to the West Bank, a territory Israel views as “disputed” and whose fate should be determined in peace talks.
The Palestinians have accused Israel of exploiting the Bible and ignoring other religions’ ties to the region to grab land.
Israel in turn accuses the Palestinians of denying a Jewish connection to the region to strengthen its own claim.
Fears sparked by the film were stoked earlier this month when video emerged of Jewish visitors praying in a shrine said to be the burial place of Moses’ brother Aaron, located near Petra.
Jordan shuttered the site upon discovery of the videos and ordered an investigation into the incident, according to the official Jordanian news agency Petra.
Clashes between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police at a key Jerusalem shrine holy to Muslims and Jews over the weekend have only bolstered critics of the film.
The east Jerusalem holy site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is administered by an Islamic trust under Jordanian stewardship.
“The government and the people in Jordan are unhappy with the relationship with Israel on a number of levels,” said Daoud Kuttab, an Amman-based analyst. “Usually Jordanian officials try to defuse the tension, but this time they didn’t.”
7 aug 2019
Jordan, Palestine sign MoU to provide Palestine with petroleum derivatives
The Jordanian and Palestinian governments signed today a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in which Jordan will provide Palestine with petroleum derivatives.
The MoU was signed by Finance Minister Shukri Bishara and Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati.
The MoU calls for cooperation between the two countries in providing Palestine with its needs of petroleum derivatives by buying it from Jordanian companies and exporting it to Palestine, as well as storage of the petroleum derivatives in Jordanian oil facilities, in addition to cooperation in the energy field.
Bishara stressed the importance of the MoU in providing the Palestinian market with petroleum derivatives, pointing out that it is vital and important for both parties.
He estimated annual Palestinian imports of oil derivatives at between $2.5 and $3 billion.
For her part, Zawati stressed the importance of providing Palestine with the petroleum derivatives to help the Palestinian people diversify their energy sources.
Palestine imports most of its oil needs and its derivatives from Israel, but it is looking into ways to end this dependency on Israel.
The Jordanian and Palestinian governments signed today a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in which Jordan will provide Palestine with petroleum derivatives.
The MoU was signed by Finance Minister Shukri Bishara and Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati.
The MoU calls for cooperation between the two countries in providing Palestine with its needs of petroleum derivatives by buying it from Jordanian companies and exporting it to Palestine, as well as storage of the petroleum derivatives in Jordanian oil facilities, in addition to cooperation in the energy field.
Bishara stressed the importance of the MoU in providing the Palestinian market with petroleum derivatives, pointing out that it is vital and important for both parties.
He estimated annual Palestinian imports of oil derivatives at between $2.5 and $3 billion.
For her part, Zawati stressed the importance of providing Palestine with the petroleum derivatives to help the Palestinian people diversify their energy sources.
Palestine imports most of its oil needs and its derivatives from Israel, but it is looking into ways to end this dependency on Israel.
