The council rejected any direct or indirect dealing with Israel’s illegal occupation and colonization of Palestine JEDDAH: The Arab Economic and Social Council expressed its rejection of any attempts to end or lessen the role of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in supporting millions of Palestinian refugees. Deputy Finance Minister Dr. Hamad bin Suleiman Al-Bazai led the Saudi delegation to the council meeting in Cairo. The council issued a resolution warning that cutting financial support for UNRWA will have negative consequences. Participants encouraged Arab countries to increase economic support for the Palestinian people in the face of Israel’s occupation. They urged the Arab private sector to invest in Palestine through the creation of mechanisms and special programs designed by the Arab League in collaboration with relevant entities and organizations. The council appealed to specialized ministerial councils, Arab organizations and financial institutions to increase relief and development support for Palestine to mitigate the effects of the occupation and to help Palestine overcome its financial crisis. The council also urged the Arab League General Secretariat to increase technical support programs for the least developed countries, including Palestine. The council rejected any direct or indirect dealing with Israel’s illegal occupation and colonization of Palestine, and called for a database of companies dealing with Israeli settlements. It also urged Arab countries to provide the Arab League General Secretariat with reports on development projects to reduce the economic and social consequences of hosting Syrian refugees. The council urged Arab countries to expedite the completion of procedures for signing and ratifying the Convention on the Liberalization of Trade in Services among Arab States. It also approved a draft charter for the development of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector.