UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says Israel’s move sets a dangerous precedent for the UN worldwide
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which Israel has accused of bias, has not used the building since early this year after Israel ordered it to vacate all its buildings and cease operations.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the raid.
“This complex remains a United Nations precinct and is inviolable and immune from any other form of interference,” Guterres said in a statement. “I urge Israel to immediately take all necessary steps to restore, preserve and maintain the sanctity of UNRWA buildings and to refrain from further action against UNRWA buildings.”
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X that Israel’s move “could set a dangerous precedent anywhere in the world where the UN is present.”
Raid ordered due to “significant debts”.
The Jerusalem Municipality said tax collectors entered the UNRWA complex over unpaid property taxes of 11 million shekels ($3.4 million), after multiple warnings were issued and all necessary procedures were followed.
“This is a substantial debt that had to be collected after repeated requests, warnings and numerous opportunities to pay it off, which went unanswered,” it told Reuters.
UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said the compound in east Jerusalem remained UN property despite Israel’s ban on its activities and that the organization had no debts to the municipality.
The UN had contacted Israeli authorities several times to remind them of their obligations under a UN treaty to which Israel is a signatory, he said.
An Israeli government spokesperson did not respond to questions about the raid but reiterated Israel’s criticism of the organization. The UN has said some of its staff may have been involved in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
“We know that UNRWA has been a stain on the United Nations,” spokesman Shosh Bedrosian said. “There is a direct connection between UNRWA and Hamas in Gaza, with almost every terrorist who entered Israeli territory on October 7 to commit genocidal acts against our people was in fact a UNRWA graduate.”
Lazzarini said police motorcycles, trucks and forklifts were brought in and communications were lost. IT equipment, furniture and other properties have been seized, he said.
The UN General Assembly on Friday extended the mandate of UNRWA, which was first established in 1949, for another three years. Fowler declined to speculate on the timing of the raid.
He said Israel has waged a “sustained disinformation campaign” against UNRWA, whose responsibilities it wants other UN bodies to take over.
Palestinians view UNRWA’s existence as enmeshed in preserving their rights as refugees, especially their hopes of returning to the homes from which they or their ancestors fled or were expelled in the war over Israel’s creation in 1948.
Israeli criticism
Israel has claimed that some UNRWA employees were members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and took part in the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and sparked Israel’s war against Hamas, in which Gaza authorities say more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed.
UNRWA has fired several staff members but says Israel has not provided evidence to support all the allegations against its staff.
Israel’s parliament passed a law in October 2024 banning the agency from operating in the country and banning officials from having contact with the agency.
UNRWA operates in East Jerusalem, which the UN considers Israeli-occupied territory. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be part of the country.
Israel formally annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, after capturing it during the 1967 Middle East war. The UN and most countries consider East Jerusalem occupied by Israel.
UNRWA also operates in Gaza, the West Bank and elsewhere in the Middle East, providing education, health care, social services and shelter to millions of Palestinians.
#Israeli #troops #invade #Palestinian #refugee #agency #building #East #Jerusalem #Express #Stand