Occupied Jerusalem / PNN /
Israeli occupation authorities announced on Thursday the confiscation of the land where the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. The site is to be transformed into a colonial settlement consisting of 1,440 housing units.
This development is part of an escalation of measures against the agency, including efforts to pass laws that delegitimize and criminalize its activities. UNRWA has played a crucial and central role in relief projects and managing aid in Gaza, which has been subjected to over a year of genocidal warfare.
Israel's Land Authority posted on its website that the plot of land housing UNRWA's main headquarters in occupied Jerusalem would be converted into 1,440 settler housing units, noting that the project is already in the planning stages.
The occupation authorities had previously demanded that UNRWA vacate its headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, claiming that the land was being used "without the approval of the Israel Land Authority." UNRWA was fined and ordered to pay tens of millions of shekels in back rent for the years it had occupied the property. The Sheikh Jarrah headquarters serves as the main office for the agency.
PLO Condemns Israeli Move to Convert UNRWA HQ into Settlement Outpost in Sheikh Jarrah
For its part the Palestinian Liberation Organization's (PLO) Refugee Affairs Department condemned today’s announcement by the Israeli Land Authority regarding the confiscation of land on which the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) headquarters is situated in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. The site is to be converted into a settlement outpost comprising 1,440 housing units. The decision was denounced as a violation of the United Nations and its agencies, as well as a breach of the UN Charter.
Dr. Ahmad Abu Holi, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and head of the Refugee Affairs Department, described the Israeli Land Authority’s decision as a dangerous precedent. He stated that it is alarming for a full member state of the UN to take such action against an international organization created by a General Assembly resolution. Abu Holi called for immediate Arab and international intervention to curb Israeli disregard for the international system.
He noted that this decision follows a series of political attacks led by the Israeli government against UNRWA. These include the recent approval by the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of a bill aimed at halting UNRWA activities, stripping its immunity, and severing ties with the agency. The bill is set for a final vote before the end of the month.
Abu Holi stressed that the lack of international deterrence has emboldened Israel to defy international law, commit crimes, and target UNRWA. He noted that Israel's decision to confiscate the land where UNRWA’s headquarters stands—a land leased by UNRWA under a 1952 agreement between Jordan and the agency—violates international law and UN Security Council Resolution 2334. The headquarters is protected by diplomatic immunity as a UN entity.
Abu Holi emphasized that documents exist disproving the Israeli Land Authority's claims, showing that the land was legitimately leased to UNRWA. These documents, which are also held by UNESCO, confirm the validity of the agreement, which remains in effect until UNRWA ceases operations, a decision contingent on a political resolution of the refugee issue.
He also pointed out that the Israeli decision is illegal and blatantly violates the UN General Assembly resolutions regarding the protection and immunity of international organizations, specifically UNRWA, as stipulated in Resolution 302. The decision also contravenes the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, as well as UN Security Council Resolution 2730, adopted on May 24, 2024, which mandates the protection of UN institutions and humanitarian workers.
Abu Holi criticized the Israeli government for its accelerating efforts to dismantle UNRWA's mandate due to its critical role in safeguarding Palestinian refugees' rights. He highlighted that these actions are part of a broader Israeli campaign against UNRWA, which includes freezing the agency's financial accounts in Israeli banks, barring its Commissioner-General from entering the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem, and targeting its staff and facilities. The ongoing war in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of 226 UNRWA employees and their families, and the destruction of over 200 UNRWA facilities.
He urged the international community to protect and financially support UNRWA to enable it to fulfil its mandate as per relevant UN General Assembly resolutions, including Resolutions 194 (III) and 302 (IV). He also called for ensuring the continuity of UNRWA’s services until Palestinian refugees’ rights are realized and a just solution is found according to international law and UN resolutions, especially Resolution 194.
Abu Holi demanded that the UN General Assembly take concrete steps to pressure the Israeli occupation government to cease its crimes and violations of UN resolutions and its charter. He further called on the assembly to consider suspending Israel's UN membership until it complies with its obligations under international law. He also urged UNRWA’s Commissioner-General to take all necessary legal measures to challenge Israel’s decision to seize the agency’s headquarters land.
