United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the Israeli police raid on the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem.
In a statement released Monday, Guterres emphasized that the UNRWA headquarters, located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, remains a United Nations facility and is entitled to inviolability and protection from any interference. He noted that any executive, administrative, judicial, or legislative action directed against UN property or assets is prohibited under international agreements.
The Secretary-General called on Israel to act immediately to restore and protect the inviolability of UNRWA premises and to refrain from any further actions concerning its headquarters.
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, also criticized the Israeli action, stating on social media that it represents a new challenge to international law and a blatant disregard for Israel’s obligations as a member state of the United Nations to protect and respect the inviolability of UN buildings.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli police raided the closed UNRWA headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem. UNRWA had operated from this location since 1951 but vacated the premises earlier this year following a decision by the Israeli government, which banned the agency’s operations in East Jerusalem under a law passed by the Knesset.
Israel alleges that UNRWA employees participated in the events of October 7, 2023. The agency has denied these allegations, and the United Nations has affirmed the organization’s commitment to complete neutrality.
The Jerusalem Governorate of the Palestinian Authority stated in a statement that heavily armed Israeli forces stormed the headquarters in the early hours of the morning, detained the security personnel, and confiscated their phones, leading to a communication blackout and preventing any knowledge of the events taking place inside the headquarters.
The Israeli police claimed that the issue was a municipal matter concerning unpaid debts and not a police matter. They further claimed that the presence of police officers was solely to secure municipal employees while they carried out their work. However, they declined to comment on the raising of the Israeli flag at the site.
