Jerusalem / PNN /
Israeli authorities are planning to build 1,400 settlement housing units on the site of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in Jerusalem, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
According to the report, the planned project targets the 42-dunum compound as part of efforts to change the character of the site and repurpose it for settlement use. Haaretz also said the Israel Land Authority is planning to evacuate UNRWA’s compound in the Kafr Aqab neighbourhood, a move aimed at ending the agency’s presence inside Jerusalem.
Separately, Israel’s energy minister announced that electricity supplies to all UNRWA facilities will be cut on Wednesday, with water lines to be disconnected at a later stage, a step that threatens the agency’s operations and is expected to further exacerbate the suffering of Palestinian refugees in Jerusalem.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli forces demolished buildings inside UNRWA’s headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem and raised the Israeli flag over the main compound, under the direct supervision of Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Ben-Gvir described the move as a “historic day” and a “day of celebration” for what he called the administration of Jerusalem, claiming that those he labelled as “supporters of terrorism” were being expelled from the site.
UNRWA said in a statement that it was facing an “unprecedented attack” as Israel carried out demolition operations inside its Jerusalem compound, warning that the actions constitute a violation of the agency’s international status and a direct threat to its ability to operate in the city.
On January 14, UNRWA had warned that its decades-long presence in occupied East Jerusalem was nearing an end, citing what it described as Israel’s “shameful” measures against the agency.
The Jerusalem Governorate said the UNRWA complex has remained a United Nations site enjoying international immunity, adding that Tuesday’s developments represent a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of the sanctity of international institutions.
