JAKARTA - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) condemned the destruction of its headquarters in East Jerusalem on Tuesday by Israel.
In a post on its website, UNRWA said Israeli forces raided its headquarters on Tuesday, followed by the entry of bulldozers that destroyed buildings in its headquarters complex under the supervision of a member of parliament and government officials.
UNRWA called this "a new level of open and deliberate defiance of international law, including the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, by the State of Israel," as quoted from its website, Tuesday (21/1)
"This is an unprecedented attack on a United Nations agency and its compound," UNRWA stressed.
Quoted from CNN, the demolition was carried out by police forces together with law enforcement officers from the Israel Land Authority.
The right-wing Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, who was on the scene, said, "This is a historic day, a day of celebration, and an important day for the restoration of government in Jerusalem. For years, the supporters of this terror have operated here, and today they are removed along with everything they have built."
Furthermore, UNRWA warned, "Israel is obliged to protect and respect the immunity of the UN compound," like other UN member states.
Previously, Israeli forces raided an UNRWA health center in East Jerusalem and ordered its closure on January 12.
"Water and electricity supplies to UNRWA facilities - including health and education buildings - are also scheduled to be cut off in the coming weeks," the UN agency said.
"This is a direct consequence of the law passed by the Israeli parliament in December, which increases the anti-UNRWA law that has been in place since 2024," UNRWA said.
"These actions, along with previous arson attacks and a large-scale disinformation campaign, are in contravention of the October ruling of the International Court of Justice, which reaffirmed that Israel is obliged under international law to facilitate UNRWA operations, not obstruct or prevent them," UNRWA said.
"The court also emphasized that Israel has no jurisdiction over East Jerusalem," he said.
UNRWA said Israel's actions should not be an exception and should be a warning.
"What happened today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organization or diplomatic mission, whether in the Occupied Palestinian Territory or anywhere else in the world," UNRWA warned.
"International law has been under increasing attack and risks becoming irrelevant without a response from Member States," he said.
Separately, the Israeli Land Authority said in a statement that law enforcement "has secured full ownership of the property and has begun clearing the site."
It is known that the UN Convention on Special Rights and Immunities, which Israel joined in 1949, explicitly states that UN complexes and facilities "shall be inviolable" and "immune from search, seizure, expropriation, and all other forms of interference, whether by executive, administrative, judicial, or legislative action."
Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and annexed it in 1980. International law and most of the international community consider the territory to be occupied territory, and the Palestinians want it as the capital of a future independent state. On the other hand, Israel considers the entire city as their "eternal capital".
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "The State of Israel owns the Jerusalem compound," adding that UNRWA had suspended its operations at the site and the United Nations no longer had staff or activities there.
"The compound does not enjoy any immunity and its seizure was carried out in accordance with Israeli and international law," the ministry said, calling UNRWA a "glass house of terrorism that has long ceased to be a humanitarian organization."
Israel has long accused UNRWA of aiding Hamas and called for its complete dissolution, a charge the agency has repeatedly denied.
After the Hamas-led offensive on October 7, Israel intensified its campaign against the UN agency, citing the involvement of some of its employees and the use of its facilities in Gaza for attacks on Israel and for hiding Israeli hostages.
At the end of 2024, the Israeli Parliament passed a law banning UNRWA operations in Israel and prohibiting official contact with the agency.
Further legislation in December 2025 bans the provision of water and electricity to UNRWA properties and allows the state to take over land from the agency's compounds in East Jerusalem.
Other UNRWA properties, located in the Kfar ‘Aqab area in East Jerusalem, are expected to undergo a similar process in the near future.
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