AMMAN: As Jordan steps up efforts to prepare for a voluntary return of Syrian refugees, a UNHCR study found that only 0.8 percent of them are willing to go back home.
According to the recently published survey by the UN refugee agency, the majority of Syrian refugees in Jordan prefer to stay in the resource-poor kingdom.
The survey revealed that around 97 percent of Syrian refugees in Jordan have no intention of going back home in the coming 12 months, attributing the reasons to security and economic concerns, including a lack of housing and basic amenities in Syria.
A total of 2,984 refugees were polled in the survey, which found that only 0.8 percent of them would be interested in returning to Syria, while 2.4 percent remained divided.
The study was conducted by the UNHCR between January and February this year, surveying Syrian refugees in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. It revealed that 96.8 percent of Syrian refugees residing in Jordan refuse to return to Syria in the next year (the highest percentage), compared with 95 percent in Egypt, 94 percent in Iraq and 91 percent in Lebanon.
The study revealed that a quarter of refugees who said they had no intention to return within the next year answered that they still wish to return to Syria within the next five years.
The publication of the study, however, coincides with Jordan’s move to begin coordinating with the Syrian government and relevant UN organizations to organize the voluntary return of some 1,000 Syrian refugees.
The decision was announced on May 1 following a landmark meeting in Amman of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, also attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad.
The Syrian government pledged to ensure the conditions and requirements for the return of the 1,000 refugees, a statement following the meeting said.
According to official figures, a total of 3,325 Syrian refugees returned to their war-torn country from Jordan in 2022.
From 2016 until the end of September 2022, a total of 341,500 Syrian refugees returned to Syria, of whom 64,278 came from Jordan, UNHCR said. The UN refugee agency announced the return of 38,379 refugees to Syria from Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt in 2022.
Jordan said it is providing refuge to about 1.3 million Syrians, including some 670,000 officially registered with the UNHCR as refugees, making the kingdom host to the world’s second-largest population of Syrian refugees per capita after Lebanon. Turkey has accepted 3.6 million Syrian refugees, while Lebanon hosts almost 1 million, according to the UNHCR.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi recently said that a total of 200,000 Syrian refugees were born in Jordan since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011.
Around 155,000 Syrian students are enrolled in public schools, he said, adding that Jordan will suggest the establishment of a fund to provide a “secure environment for the return of refugees.”
Jordan hosts two camps near the Syrian border: the Zaatari camp, the largest in the Middle East, and the Azraq camp. Most Syrians in Jordan live in cities and urban centers, however, where they work in certain industries.
The UNHCR said that “a record 62,000 work permits were issued to Syrians” in 2021, amounting to “the highest annual number since work permits for Syrian refugees were introduced.”
Syrian refugees have been allowed to work in several sectors in Jordan since 2016, after donor countries pledged funding and expanded trade facilitation to the kingdom under the Jordan Response Plan for the Syria Crisis.
Jordan said that the deficit in the JRP amounted to around $1.60 billion in 2022.
The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation said that the JRP’s deficit reached 70 percent of the annual budget of $2.276 billion allocated to support Syrian refugees in Jordan.
According to the ministry’s data, Germany was the top donor for the JRP, granting the plan around $211 million, followed by the US at approximately $166 million, then multi-agency funds at $86 million, the EU at $29 million and the UK at $29 million.
Fewer than 1 percent of Syrian refugees in Jordan want to return home: UNHCR study
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Fewer than 1 percent of Syrian refugees in Jordan want to return home: UNHCR study
- The survey revealed that around 97 percent of Syrian refugees in Jordan have no intention of going back home in the coming 12 months
- The study was conducted by the UNHCR between January and February this year, surveying Syrian refugees in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq
Trump ‘not confident’ Gaza deal will hold
- Donald Trump however believes Hamas had been ‘weakened’ in the war
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Monday he was not confident a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold, despite trumpeting his diplomacy to secure it ahead of his inauguration.
Asked by a reporter as he returned to the White House whether the two sides would maintain the truce and move on in the agreement, Trump said, “I’m not confident.”
“That’s not our war; it’s their war. But I’m not confident,” Trump said.
Trump, however, said that he believed Hamas had been “weakened” in the war that began with its unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
“I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site,” Trump said.
The property tycoon turned populist politician said that Gaza could see a “fantastic” reconstruction if the plan moves ahead.
“It’s a phenomenal location on the sea — best weather. You know, everything’s good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it,” he said.
Israel and Hamas on Sunday began implementing a ceasefire deal that included the exchange of hostages and prisoners.
The plan was originally outlined by then president Joe Biden in May and was pushed through after unusual joint diplomacy by Biden and Trump envoys.
Trump, while pushing for the deal, has also made clear he will steadfastly support Israel.
In one of his first acts, he revoked sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank imposed by the Biden administration over attacks against Palestinians.
Syria’s de facto leader congratulates Trump, looks forward to improving relations
- In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance
CAIRO: Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa congratulated US President Donald Trump on his inauguration in a statement on Monday, saying he is looking forward to improving relations between the two countries.
“We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region,” he said.
The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by ousted President Bashar Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiralled into civil war.
In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance.
Syria welcomed the move, but has urged a complete lifting of sanctions to support its recovery.
Over 900 aid trucks enter Gaza on 2nd day of truce: UN
- The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to cross into Gaza per day
UNITED NATIONS, United States: More than 900 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Monday, the United Nations said, exceeding the daily target outlined in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“Humanitarian aid continues to move into the Gaza Strip as part of a prepared surge to increase support to survivors,” the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) said.
“Today, 915 trucks crossed into Gaza, according to information received through engagement with Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement.”
Throughout conflict in Gaza, the UN has denounced obstacles restricting the flow and distribution of aid into the battered Palestinian territory.
On Sunday, the day the ceasefire came into force, 630 trucks entered Gaza.
An initial 42-day truce between Israel and Hamas is meant to enable a surge of sorely needed aid for Gaza after 15 months of war.
The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to cross into Gaza per day.
Hamas ‘ready for dialogue’ with Trump administration, senior official says
- Mousa Abu Marzouk, 74, currently based in Qatar, is native of Gaza, former resident of Virginia
- It is unclear whether statement reflects broad consensus among militant group in Gaza Strip
LONDON: The Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip is ready to engage in dialogue with the US and its new administration under Donald Trump, according to one of its senior officials Mousa Abu Marzouk.
Abu Marzouk, who is a member of Hamas’ political office, told The New York Times on Sunday that the group was “prepared for a dialogue with America and to achieve understanding on everything.”
Abu Marzouk, 74, who is currently based in Qatar, is a native of Gaza and a former resident of Virginia.
His statement came hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip, coinciding with the inauguration of a new administration in the White House.
It is unclear whether Abu Marzouk’s words reflect a broad consensus among the militant group in Gaza, which launched a cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The US has classified Hamas as a terrorist organization since 1997.
Abu Marzouk told The New York Times that Hamas was prepared to welcome an envoy from the Trump administration to the Gaza Strip.
He said: “He can come and see the people and try to understand their feelings and wishes, so that the American position can be based on the interests of all the parties and not only one party.”
Abu Marzouk praised Trump for helping to secure the ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, adding that “without President Trump’s insistence on ending the war and his dispatching of a decisive representative, this deal wouldn’t have happened.”
Israelis want Trump to ‘make Israel normal again’
- During his first term, Trump broke with much of the international community and moved the US embassy to Jerusalem
TEL AVIV: For many Israelis yearning for a future free from war and for the release of hostages still held in Gaza, US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House on Monday is a source of hope.
On the eve of his inauguration, three women hostages were released after 15 months in captivity by Hamas militants, after mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt clinched a Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Trump, whose envoy took part in negotiations even ahead of his return to the presidency, claimed credit for the deal following months of fruitless negotiations.
But many Israelis have been looking forward to his return for a while, even ahead of the ceasefire.
In Tel Aviv’s Sarona commercial district, a massive banner bearing the president-elect’s image was erected weeks ago.
It shows Trump, his fist raised in defiance. The caption, a reference to the hostages, reads: “ALL OF THEM UNTIL THE 20.1 — OR THE FIRE OF HELL WILL OPEN.”
In early December, Trump warned of “hell” if, by his inauguration, Hamas did not release the dozens of Israeli hostages held since its October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the Gaza war.
With the first three releases on Sunday, 91 hostages remain in Gaza.
The Tel Aviv banner was the initiative of Tikva Forum, a campaign group of hostage relatives opposed to a deal with Hamas.
“Hamas has to realize that the rules are about to change in the Middle East and that it’s time to bring back the hostages immediately,” the group said in a statement.
Its members have been anticipating the US billionaire’s return to the helm in Washington, Israel’s closest ally and top military backer.
But it is not just Israelis opposed to a deal that are hopeful.
In the lead-up to the inauguration, his image has become a fixture at weekly rallies calling for the release of hostages.
Red caps handed out at protests alluded to the ones proudly worn by Trump supporters.
But instead of “Make America Great Again,” the ones worn in Israel read: “End this fuc*!ng war.”
Demonstrators carried posters that read: “Trump, thank you for handling this,” “President Trump, bring them home,” and “Make Israel normal again.”
“I know that when he’s going to be back, things will change, but I’m not sure to which extent,” said Gaya Omri, a protester at a recent rally in Jerusalem.
“My only hope is that he can finish this war. This is what we want,” she said.
During his first term, Trump broke with much of the international community and moved the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Israelis claim the city as their undivided capital, while Palestinians claim its eastern sector as theirs.
Trump oversaw landmark normalization deals between Israel and three Arab countries — Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
He also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, again going against much of the world and numerous UN resolutions.
As a show of gratitude, an Israeli settlement in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967, was renamed Trump Heights.
“President Trump put us on the map,” said Yaakov Selavan of the Golan Heights Regional Council.
“He gave us the best PR campaign we’ve ever had, and we hope the new US administration will continue this,” he said.
This time round, some of Trump’s cabinet picks again suggest a favorable line for Israel.
The incoming president’s pick for US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is a staunch supporter of Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank.
