Translated with AI
UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the Israeli authorities' unauthorized entry into the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Monday.
According to the UN chief, the United Nations premises are "inviolable and immune from any interference." António Guterres recalled that the International Court of Justice recently confirmed that any administrative, judicial, or legislative action against UN property and assets is prohibited by the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
UNRWA Director Philippe Lazzarini reported that Israeli police, along with municipal officials, forcibly entered the compound. Motorcycles, trucks, and forklifts were driven into the facility, communications were cut off, furniture and computer equipment were confiscated, and the UN flag was removed and replaced with an Israeli one.
António Guterres called on Israel to "immediately take all necessary steps to restore and ensure the integrity of UNRWA premises" and to refrain from any further actions against the agency, in accordance with its obligations under the UN Charter and international law.
Philippe Lazzarini described the incident as a "flagrant disregard for Israel's obligations as a UN member state" and warned that such actions set a dangerous precedent for the work of the Organization worldwide.
UNRWA provides healthcare, education, and other services to approximately six million Palestine refugees in five regions of the Middle East, including the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The agency's facilities have been repeatedly attacked since the outbreak of hostilities in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
According to Lazzarini, the East Jerusalem complex has been empty since the beginning of the year after the Israeli parliament passed legislation targeting UNRWA.
Lazzarini emphasized that "regardless of any internal measures taken, the complex retains its status as UN premises, inviolable and immune from any interference." Israel is a party to the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the UN, which makes the Organization's premises inviolable and protects its property from any form of seizure or prosecution. The International Court of Justice also affirmed Israel's obligation to cooperate with UNRWA and other UN agencies.
