JERUSALEM: The United Nations on Wednesday sharply criticised Israel over the demolition of facilities belonging to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in occupied East Jerusalem, warning that the move could set a dangerous precedent for the treatment of international organisations worldwide.
The condemnation came a day after Israeli forces, led by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, entered the East Jerusalem compound of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and demolished temporary and permanent structures on the site.
Witnesses said Israeli security personnel, accompanied by bulldozers, removed the UN flag from the compound and raised the Israeli flag in its place.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini described the demolition as an unprecedented escalation, accusing Israel of openly defying international law and the legal protections afforded to UN premises.
“This represents a deliberate challenge to the privileges and immunities of the United Nations,” Lazzarini said, warning that failure to respond could embolden similar actions against other international and diplomatic missions.
Israeli officials defended the operation. Ben-Gvir hailed the demolition as a milestone in asserting Israeli control over Jerusalem, while Jerusalem deputy mayor Aryeh King used inflammatory language to describe the UN agency and celebrated its removal from the site.
The latest confrontation follows a series of measures taken by Israel against UNRWA. Last month, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed legislation authorising the cutting of electricity and water supplies to UNRWA facilities in East Jerusalem. In 2024, lawmakers also approved a ban on the agency’s operations inside Israel, citing allegations that some staff members were linked to the October 7, 2023 attacks — claims UNRWA has rejected.
Lazzarini said the demolition and earlier measures contradict an October ruling by the International Court of Justice, which reaffirmed that Israel is required under international law to facilitate UNRWA’s humanitarian work and has no jurisdiction over East Jerusalem, which is considered occupied territory.
Established in 1949, UNRWA provides education, healthcare and humanitarian assistance to millions of registered Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Diplomats and humanitarian officials warned that the demolition could further restrict humanitarian space in the occupied Palestinian territory, at a time when international agencies are already struggling to operate amid heightened political and security pressures.
