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Former German banker Olaf Becker specialised in management efficiency before becoming head of the Jordanian branch of UNRWA two years ago, the main organisation helping Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the rest of the Levant.
Faced with a funding freeze by Washington and other donors in response to alleged ties between UNRWA and Hamas, Mr Becker’s speciality is unlikely to alleviate the severity of the crisis now facing his organisation. Service cuts to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees are unavoidable.
“We will have (to start with) scaling back our least critical services,” said Mr Becker, as he gave journalists a tour of UNRWA facilities in the Wehdat camp in East Amman, one of ten officially recognised Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan.
He did not give a timeline, saying possible cuts could be “very detrimental in terms of social issues in Jordan,” referring to people who could be losing their jobs.
The focus on the humanitarian impact of the Gaza war underpin's the organisation's regional role, particularly in Jordan, where 2.4 million of the 5.9 million people registered as Palestinian refugees with UNRWA reside.
The refugees are spread over the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
UNRWA, the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, has said it may have to start shutting down operations as early as this month in Gaza and across the region, if funding does not resume.
Suspended funds are equivalent to $440 million, comprising nearly half of the agency’s operating costs.
The funding freezes followed Israeli allegations that a dozen UNRWA staff took part in the October 7 attacks by Hamas on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, mainly civilians.
A UN panel is reviewing the accusations as UNRWA's ability to continue its role, which is derived from a 1949 General Assembly resolution, becomes more difficult.
The organisation is one of Jordan's largest employers, with 7,000 people on its payroll, Mr Becker said. It operates 169 schools attended by 119,000 students, 25 clinics, and gives cash handouts to 60,000 of the most impoverished refugees in the kingdom.
UNRWA also provides sanitation in the 10 official Palestinian camps in Jordan, where 400,000 people live.
“Another thing is the symbolic value UNWRA has for Palestinian refugees,” Mr Becker said. “We are seen as kind of the last flag bearer … for a hopeful justice-driven solution,” he said.
Unlike Lebanon, whose government places a variety of restrictions on Palestinians, most of the Palestinian refugees in Jordan have Jordanian citizenship, although some are only issued temporary documents and face labour restrictions. Syrian authorities also do not give citizenship to Palestinians.
Jordan is also the only country among the three that has been free from civil strife, after devastating civil wars in Lebanon in the 1970s and '80s, and Syria after 2011. The last prolonged violence in the kingdom was in 1970-1971, when the Palestinian Liberation Organisation was expelled to Lebanon.
Asked if UNRWA could operate with less money, Mr Becker said that there is little scope for that, considering that it is “one of the very few direct service providing organisations in the United Nations”.
He cited operating costs for its schools in Jordan that are 20 per cent less than those of Jordanian government schools, and reductions in the last several years in the running costs of UNRWA's clinics.
“What do you chose (to cut)? Do you chose health care versus education, versus sanitation?” he said, pointing out the relatively clean streets of Wehdat camp.
If the UNRWA role sharply declines, a public health problem could arise, he said, in a country comprising “the only stable environment we operate in”.
THE SPECS
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Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
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THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
Price, base: from Dh571,000
On sale: this week
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
HOW TO WATCH
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Quick facts on cancer
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- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
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W - N Forest, 3-0
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L - Brighton, 2-1
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
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Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
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Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
