Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday that Israeli was “exploiting” the Ukraine crisis by transferring Ukrainian refugees to Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, the U.K.-based Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Tuesday.
Shtayyeh made the remarks during the weekly P.A. Cabinet meeting, according to the report.
“The heart of Samaria is with you; we’re all hurting with you—but we’ve decided not to be satisfied with words, but to take action,” said Dagan, according to Israel’s Channel 14. “We came here to personally invite you to make aliyah to Samaria, and to give you a home.”
His words were met with applause, according to the report.
In anticipation of the massive wave of immigration, the Jewish Agency for Israel has launched an “Aliyah Express” program to expedite the immigration process. According to the JAI, the program will significantly reduce the timeline for aliyah-eligibility checks. The JAI will also assist in absorbing immigrants when they arrive in Israel.
On Tuesday, the Israeli Education Ministry announced the creation of a two-stage working plan for the integration of some 2,000 students from Ukraine into the Israeli school system. The plan includes “educational, emotional and social aspects” and is designed to assist not only the students but also their parents, according to a statement from the Education Ministry. The ministry has also established a dedicated “situation room” to handle the influx of refugees, according to the statement.
In his Cabinet address on Monday, Shtayyeh called for an end to the “international double standards” regarding the situations in Ukraine and “Palestine,” according to Asharq Al-Awsat. Israel, he said, “Is not qualified to talk about peace in the world.”