Israel Plans to Build a Ministry of Defense Office in the Former UNRWA Headquarters

Destruction of UNRWA headquarters in UNRWA. (Source: WAFA)

JAKARTA - The Israeli government has approved plans to build a Ministry of Defense complex on the former site of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, near Ammunition Hill in East Jerusalem.

The complex will include a new Israeli military museum, recruitment offices, and the office of the defense minister.

In a joint statement, the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Jerusalem Municipality said the complex would be built on 36 dunams (nine hectares) of land, as part of efforts to strengthen the defense establishment's presence in Jerusalem.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the move as a "sovereignty, Zionism and security decision", quoted by The National (18/5).

Katz accused UNRWA of having ties to Hamas and said the new institutions would replace what he called "the terror and incitement machine against Israel".

Israel is known to have begun destroying the former UNRWA headquarters in January after years of action against the agency, which Israel accuses of having ties to Hamas and engaging in militant activities, including the October 7, 2023 attack.

The Ministry of Defense and the Jerusalem Municipality signed an agreement in December to establish a new defense headquarters in the city and move the military academy to Jerusalem.

Separately, UNRWA Chief Philippe Lazzarini described the destruction of the headquarters as "a new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law" by Israel.

The demolition of the UNRWA compound is Israel's latest move against the organization since the start of the Gaza war.

Previously, schools, health centers, and UNRWA refugee camps have supported generations of Palestinian refugees since the 1948 war that accompanied the establishment of Israel.

At the end of 2024, Israel banned UNRWA from operating in areas under its control, a decision widely criticized in the international community, including by many of Israel's closest allies.

This institution is considered important to support the Palestinians and deal with the humanitarian disaster caused by the Gaza war.

Israel has long accused UNRWA of tolerating anti-Semitic content in school curricula, maintaining close ties with Hamas, and perpetuating the refugee status for Palestinians - accusations repeatedly denied by the agency.