11 FEBRUARY 2021

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today¡¯s noon briefing by St¨¦phane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

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Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA

Our friends at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East?(Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA) has asked for $1.5?billion to fund its essential services, emergency appeals and priority projects for this year.? This figure includes $806?million for core services, such as education, health, relief and social services, protection and infrastructure, as well as camp improvement.? Emergency humanitarian assistance would require another $231?million.? To respond to the hardship caused by the conflict in Syria to Palestine refugees in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, the Agency is seeking $318?million.? The emergency appeals include adjustments that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA made to its services to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among [Palestine refugees] and to address its impact.

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Questions and Answers

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Question:? And another question for you, quoting here Axios, the Jewish National Fund is apparently planning this weekend to approve a new policy that will allow the organization, which is a very big organization, as you know, to purchase land in the West Bank for the first time.? What’s the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ’s reaction?

Spokesman:? Look, I¡­ the only thing I’ve seen is that same report from Axios.? We will look into it.? I think our stand for a negotiated settlement continues unchanged, as well as our stand against anything that would annex land, but that’s just our position¡­ we’ll look into, A, if that actually happens and look into the report a little bit further.

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For information media. Not an official record.