UNRWA chief condemns Israeli seizure of East Jerusalem training centre
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UNRWA acting chief Christian Saunders condemned Israel's seizure of the Qalandiya Training Centre in East Jerusalem, saying the raid deprives 340 young Palestinians of education. Israeli forces expelled UNRWA staff from the facility on Tuesday, and five Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire near the site, according to the Jerusalem governorate. Saunders said the takeover violates UN premises protections under international law even as Israel maintains the evacuation was lawful under its legislation.
Key Facts
- Israeli forces raided and seized the Qalandiya Training Centre in the Kafr Aqab neighbourhood on Tuesday, expelling UNRWA employees and ordering them not to return.
- Five Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire near the site, according to the Jerusalem governorate.
- Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir took part in the raid and said there was “no place for the agency in Jerusalem and Israel”.
- The Qalandiya centre serves about 16,000 refugees from Qalandiya refugee camp and other parts of the occupied West Bank.
- Israeli authorities said the property was owned by the Jewish National Fund and has now been allocated to the Jerusalem Municipality for a planned educational and community complex.
The Seizure
Israeli forces raided and seized the Qalandiya Training Centre in the Kafr Aqab neighbourhood on Tuesday, expelling UNRWA employees and ordering them not to return. Five Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire near the site, according to the Jerusalem governorate. Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir took part in the raid and said there was “no place for the agency in Jerusalem and Israel”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the evacuation was lawful and carried out under legislation passed by Israel.
UNRWA Response
Acting Commissioner-General Christian Saunders on Wednesday accused Israel of violating UN premises, but insisted that “might doesn’t win out” in resolving the conflict and that the agency is “not going anywhere”. Saunders said the takeover deprives hundreds of young Palestinians of education and violates the protections afforded to UN premises under international law. “Three hundred and forty young people are not going to get the education, not going to get the training they need,” he remarked. He lamented that the students – mostly from disadvantaged families – will now miss out on learning the skills to give them the “opportunity to lead a full and dignified life”.
Wider Campaign
Saunders said the wider campaign against UNRWA is intended to weaken the agency and cut its funding, and links these efforts to the broader question of Palestinian refugee rights. “If UNRWA is defunded and UNRWA is eliminated then they are hoping that the issue of the refugees, the Palestine refugees, will go away,” Saunders said. “Which means that the right of return, reparations, and compensation would go away, as well.”
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UNRWA chief condemns Israeli seizure of East Jerusalem training centre
