Israel has begun the demolition of United Nations buildings in East Jerusalem, which it has illegally occupied since 1967 and annexed in 1980.
The occupation is bulldozing the headquarters of UNRWA, the UN’s refugee agency for Palestinians. Israel has long wanted UNRWA abolished because it keeps alive the hope of Palestinians of exercising their right to return to homes and land stolen from them – and repeatedly bombed UNRWA’s offices in Gaza.
Israel have long targeted UNRWA
The demolition follows the regime’s 2024 ban on UNRWA operating in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. For years it has smeared UNRWA as being a ‘Hamas front’ and its employees of participating in 7 October attacks. These smears have been amplified by the regime’s mass ad purchases in an attempt to discredit the humanitarian organisation.
The demolition move comes as Israel tightens its stranglehold on the entry of aid into Gaza. It has banned 37 humanitarian groups as it weaponises winter to freeze and starve helpless civilians while still bombing them.
In a statement today, UNRWA said that Israeli troops stormed their HQ this morning. Troops confiscated staff devices and forced them out of their HQ before bulldozers moved in. MPs and fascist government ‘security’ minister Itamar Ben-Gvir came to watch the show, which Ben-Gvir called “historic”.
Further attacks to come
But the destruction of the HQ is only the beginning of Israel’s assault. UNRWA says that the regime will cut off water, heat and electricity to all its remaining buildings “in the coming weeks”. The group warns other humanitarian agencies and the governments supposed to protect them that their turn is coming:
This comes in the wake of other steps taken by Israeli authorities to erase the Palestine Refugee identity.
On January 12, Israeli forces stormed into an UNRWA health centre in East Jerusalem and ordered it to close.
Water, power supplies to UNRWA facilities – including health and education buildings – are also scheduled to be cut in the coming weeks.
This is a direct result of legislation passed by the Israeli parliament in December, which stepped up existing anti-UNRWA laws adopted in 2024.
These actions, together with previous arson attacks and a large-scale disinformation campaign, fly in the face of the ruling in October by the International Court of Justice, which restated that Israel is obliged under international law to facilitate UNRWA’s operations, not hinder or prevent them. The court also stressed that Israel has no jurisdiction over East Jerusalem.
There can be no exceptions.
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.
International law has come under increasing attack for too long and is risking irrelevancy in the absence of response by Member States.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has said he will refer Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its attacks on UNRWA. The regime has ignored the ICJ and International Criminal Court on the Gaza genocide. Western governments are obliged under international law to protect the Palestinians and humanitarian agencies continue to ignore the courts too.
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said Israel is “eras[ing] the Palestinian Refugee identity”.
Israel plans to build 1,400 settler homes on the site when the demolition is completed.
Featured image via the Canary
By Skwawkbox
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