Alanbat - Husein Al-Jaghbeir
Translated by Feryal Altamimi
UNHCR confirmed in a recent quarterly assessment that Syrian
refugees are in a very poor financial situation. More than 1 million Syrians
are in Jordan, not to mention those in Lebanon, Turkey and foreign countries
whose host countries require substantial support in order to ensure that these
refugees' needs are secured.
In Jordan, there are many international agreements signed to
provide support to Syrian brothers in the Kingdom. Under these agreements,
States have undertaken obligations. However, with more than 12 years of events
in Syria, Jordan's international response has not exceeded the 9% mark.
In the context of the international situation, especially
after the Russian-Ukrainian war, Western support for Jordan has declined in
this direction, and Jordan remains alone in facing the burden of hosting
Syrians in a difficult economic, water and service situation in the Kingdom.
The West escapes its commitments and no longer cares about the agreements
signed with Jordan. It merely expresses praise for Jordan's role. This is a
talk that does not give or delay. It has many failures for the State that has embraced
those fleeing the war in Syria and provided them with shelter, food and
employment opportunities at the expense of the people themselves.
As the grim landscape continues, there is no hope that those
countries will return to their commitments. The Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad was clear in recent press statements when he stressed that the
infrastructure was not conducive to the return of Syrians to Syria, that
implies that this idea is not welcomed, as we all know the living situation of
Syrian siblings at home and the scarcity of employment opportunities for them.
That is, the refugees' stay outside Syria is less harmful to the Syrian regime
than their return.
I believe that Jordan must continue to press the world to
ensure the flow of aid, in an effort to alleviate the burden placed on this
country, which is already suffering from difficult financial and economic
conditions.
If the world does not commit itself, the agreements signed
with international organizations must be reviewed, and it does us no harm to
cancel them, especially since the other party is never bound by them. In
addition, pressure must also be placed on the Syrian regime to assist in the
refugees' return to their home State.
Jordan cannot bear any more burdens, and the people cannot
bet on the outside world, an equation that a clear Jordanian strategy must deal
with because we lose so much if it stays the same today. A decisive Jordanian
step must be taken in this direction so that it may be a wake-up call that
returns the world to its responsibilities that it has renounced, leaving
countries that are drowning in the sea of asylum, headed by the Kingdom.
