US Ambassador to UN Says Conditions in Syria Not Suitable for Return of Refugees

 Syrian refugees transport small stones for their tents at al-Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria, September 15, 2014. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed
Syrian refugees transport small stones for their tents at al-Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria, September 15, 2014. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed
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US Ambassador to UN Says Conditions in Syria Not Suitable for Return of Refugees

 Syrian refugees transport small stones for their tents at al-Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria, September 15, 2014. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed
Syrian refugees transport small stones for their tents at al-Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria, September 15, 2014. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

United States envoy to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield said the current conditions in Syria are not suitable for the return of refugees.

She made her remarks Friday during a visit to the Zaatari camp, located 85 km northeast of the Jordanian capital Amman, which almost houses 80,000 Syrian refugees.

“While we know the ultimate goal is for refugees to return home, what I heard today is that people remain fearful about the conditions in Syria and are not ready to return,” she noted.

“It is indisputable that the current environment is not conducive to return. My takeaway from this visit is that the international community must be vigilant in ensuring that any refugee returns are safe, voluntary, and dignified.”

“We appreciate the Jordanians’ enormous generosity in hosting such a large Syrian refugee population, as well as refugees from other regional conflicts,” Greenfield added.

She also hailed Jordan's commitment to providing safe shelter for its neighbors for many years, saying it sets an example to the world.

During her visit, the UN envoy met with Syrian refugees living in the camp and visited community centers and services run by the UNHCR and other UN Agencies.

“After 10 years of war, we know that hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees is no easy task,” she stressed, noting that for this reason, the US remains the biggest donor to the Syrian refugee response.

She affirmed she will use her platform at the UN to encourage others to contribute to this cause.

Jordan hosts about 650,000 UN-registered Syrian refugees, while Amman estimates the number of those who have sought refuge in Jordan since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria at about 1.3 million.

Last summer, Jordan said the number of Syrians who left Jordan to return to their country since 2018 did not exceed 50,000.



Wilful Restriction on Food Aid in Gaza May Constitute War Crime, Says UN Rights Office

A general view over rows of tents housing internally displaced Palestinians along the waterfront in Gaza, 02 June 2025. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
A general view over rows of tents housing internally displaced Palestinians along the waterfront in Gaza, 02 June 2025. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
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Wilful Restriction on Food Aid in Gaza May Constitute War Crime, Says UN Rights Office

A general view over rows of tents housing internally displaced Palestinians along the waterfront in Gaza, 02 June 2025. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
A general view over rows of tents housing internally displaced Palestinians along the waterfront in Gaza, 02 June 2025. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD

The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday that the wilful impediment of access to food and relief for civilians in Gaza may constitute a war crime, describing attacks on civilians trying to access food aid as unconscionable. 

"For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'," the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva. 

At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation. 

The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution center in Rafah. On June 1, some 32 people were killed and on Monday three people were killed, according to the OHCHR. 

The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into attacks on Palestinians trying to receive food aid. 

"Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime," Turk said in a statement. 

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting. 

The foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. 

The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site".