In a move that has drawn widespread condemnation, Israeli authorities have bulldozed the Jerusalem headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid to millions of Palestinian refugees. This action, coupled with the firing of tear gas at a UN vocational school in the West Bank, marks Israel’s latest step against the international agency.
UNRWA’s West Bank director, Roland Friedrich, reported that demolition crews accompanied by police arrived at the agency’s East Jerusalem compound in the early hours of the morning. The facility had been largely unused for nearly a year due to security threats and incitement, but Israeli forces nonetheless entered the compound, confiscated equipment, and expelled the private security guards hired to protect the site. An Israeli flag was subsequently hoisted above the facility in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, where some Israeli politicians arrived to celebrate the organisation’s fate.
Israel has long accused UNRWA of collaborating with Hamas, a charge the agency has repeatedly denied. Last year, Israel banned UNRWA from operating on its territory, a decision that has now culminated in the demolition of the agency’s headquarters. The Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed that the compound “does not enjoy any immunity and the seizure of this compound by Israeli authorities was carried out in accordance with both Israeli and international law.”
However, UNRWA’s commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, condemned the move, stating that “this must be a wake-up call. What happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission, whether in the Occupied Palestinian Territory or anywhere around the world.”
Founded in 1949, UNRWA’s mandate is to provide aid and services to 2.5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem, as well as 3 million more refugees in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. The agency has maintained infrastructure in refugee camps, run schools, and provided healthcare for decades.
The demolition of UNRWA’s headquarters comes amid a long-running political and financial campaign against the agency. In 2018, the US cut funding to UNRWA under the Trump administration, only to restore it in 2021 under President Biden. However, the US has since paused contributions again in 2024.
Lazzarini warned that the latest action against UNRWA is part of a broader effort to “erase the Palestine refugee identity.” He cautioned that this incident should serve as a “wake-up call” for the international community, as similar actions could be taken against other humanitarian organisations operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory or elsewhere around the world.
