Israeli construction equipment demolished buildings at UNRWA headquarters in east Jerusalem on Tuesday without warning, with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees denouncing an “unprecedented attack.” Israeli forces “attacked” the compound shortly after 7 a.m. (0000 GMT), UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler told AFP, adding that they forced the guards to leave. The UNRWA facility had been out of action since it was legally shut down by Israeli authorities, who say the agency has ties to Hamas.

The Israeli government believes the ban also applies to east Jerusalem, the part of the city it has occupied since 1967 and annexed in violation of international law, according to the UN.

An AFP photographer saw construction machinery demolishing at least one of the buildings in the complex, which was flying an Israeli flag, with Israeli politicians in attendance.

“This is an unprecedented attack on UNRWA and its facilities, a serious violation of international law and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations,” said Mr. Fowler.

"This should be a wake-up call," he added, "that what UNRWA suffered today could be suffered by any other international organization or diplomatic mission tomorrow."

Asked about this by Agence France-Presse, the director of UNRWA in the occupied West Bank (where East Jerusalem is under administrative control), Ronald Friedrich, saw a "possible intention" by the Israeli authorities "to take the lands to build settlements," as the agency's headquarters was already surrounded by settler neighborhoods.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry defended “the application of existing Israeli legislation regarding 'UNRWA-Hamas'”.

Israeli authorities claim that agency employees participated in the Hamas raid on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in the Gaza Strip.

The UN announced in August 2024 that it had fired nine of its employees in the Gaza Strip, saying that they may indeed have been involved, but that the investigative committee it formed was unable to verify the information used by Israel to support its allegations.

The building complex "did not enjoy immunity and its seizure was carried out in accordance with Israeli and international law," argued Israeli diplomacy, according to which it "belongs to the State of Israel."

It is a “United Nations facility” and therefore “inviolable under the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which all UN Member States are bound to respect,” Mr. Fowler objected.

He explained that UNRWA has been renting its headquarters in East Jerusalem from Jordan since 1952 without interruption.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “considers the continued escalation of actions against UNRWA, which is in violation of Israel’s clear obligations under international law, completely unacceptable,” according to a statement issued by his office in New York.

The Palestinian Authority warned against "deliberate escalation" in the context of Israel's "systematic attack" on the United Nations agency, as well as "an attempt to undermine the international protection system for Palestinian refugees."

Refugee status, which is passed down from generation to generation, is linked to the right of return – which Israel rejects – and is among the most difficult issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, established by a UN General Assembly resolution in 1949, is tasked with providing assistance to some 5.9 million Palestinian refugees. It operates primarily health centers and educational institutions in the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.

Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir went to the scene yesterday morning to greet the "historic day" that he described as "very important for the governance of Jerusalem."

"For years, these supporters of terrorism were here, and today they are being expelled (…) This will happen to anyone who supports terrorism," the Israeli far-right figure added via Telegram.

In early December, UNRWA had already denounced the seizure by Israeli authorities of its materials at the same facility. Israeli police later assured Agence France-Presse that the operation was linked to the settlement of “debts.”

 

After the war broke out in the Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities declared UN Secretary-General Guterres, as well as UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, persona non gratae in Israel.

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