Jersey an be proud of work in Ukraine
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or injured since the war started on 24 February 2022.Ms Osman said "there's a daily bombardment" where she lives in Kyiv and "this shelling can be a bit taxing at times".She added: "But, thankfully, in Kyiv we have good air defence, which is great."However, closer to the front lines, there are people living with without that luxury, and they are hit on a daily basis without the chance to have a warning or get down to shelter."
Ms Osman works to help those who have been displaced with Ukraine by the fighting, as well as refugees fleeing the country.She said the humanitarian situation was "particularly dire" in the east of Ukraine on the front lines and the "effects of war in Ukraine have been very hard on the whole population".She added: "Further away from the front lines, one of the main activities that UNHCR does is providing immediate emergency response, so it's going to the places directly following attacks and helping people with their emergency needs, like providing food, clothes and fuel."
Ms Osman has also seen the wider work of JOA during her time in Ukraine.She said Russia's attacks had destroyed two-thirds of the country's energy infrastructure so "people were in freezing temperatures of -10C to -20C [14F to -4F] in the east of Ukraine are left without power".Dealing with landmines would also be a major operation after the war, she also said. She said: "JOA has a very active de-mining program, which is going to be a massive thing when the war ends in Ukraine because it's one of the most heavily mined situations we've ever had. "This work will be a major part of the county's reconstruction."
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In response, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States "strongly rejects (Macron's) plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly." In a post on X, he said, "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th." Earlier, Canada also pressed Israel to seek peace, with Prime Minister Mark Carney condemning its "failure to prevent the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza" and reiterating support for a two-state solution. Carney also accused Israel of violating international law over the blocking of Canadian-funded aid to civilians in the war-torn Palestinian enclave. "Canada calls on all sides to negotiate an immediate ceasefire in good faith," he added. "We reiterate our calls for Hamas to immediately release all the hostages, and for the Israeli government to respect the territorial integrity of the West Bank and Gaza." In a diplomatic cable in June, the United States said it opposed steps to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state, even saying it could go against U.S. foreign policy interests and draw consequences. In June, Washington's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said he did not think an independent Palestinian state remained a U.S. foreign policy goal. President Donald Trump has himself expressed doubts about a two-state solution, proposing a U.S. takeover of Gaza in February, that was condemned by rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the U.N. as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing". Macron had been leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state for months as part of a bid to keep the idea of a two-state solution alive, despite the pressure not to do so. French officials initially weighed up the move ahead of a United Nations conference, which France and Saudi Arabia had planned to co-host in June to lay out parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. The conference was postponed under U.S. pressure and after the 12-day Israel-Iran air war began, during which the closure of regional airspace made it hard for representatives of some Arab states to attend. It was rescheduled and downgraded to a ministerial event on July 28 and July 29, with a second event taking place with heads of state and government on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. The decision to make the announcement ahead of next week's conference aimed to give the French team at the United Nations a framework to work with other countries that are also considering recognising a Palestinian state or have misgivings in doing so. Diplomats say Macron has faced resistance from allies such as Britain and Canada over his push for the recognition of a Palestinian state. About 40 foreign ministers will be in New York next week. Israeli officials have spent months lobbying to prevent what some have called "a nuclear bomb" for bilateral ties. Sources familiar with the matter say Israel's warnings to France have ranged from scaling back intelligence sharing to complicating Paris' regional initiatives - even hinting at possible annexation of parts of the West Bank. Israel has been waging a devastating war in Gaza since the Palestinian militant group Hamas' deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and says recognising a Palestinian state now would be equivalent to rewarding Hamas. Thanking France, the Palestinian Authority's Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh said on X that Macron's decision reflected "France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state."
