AMMAN, 26 January 2025- The State of Israel ordered UNRWA to vacate all premises in occupied East Jerusalem and cease its operations in them by 30 January 2025.
This order is in contradiction to international law obligations of UN member states including the State of Israel, which is bound by the General Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
United Nations premises are inviolable and enjoy privileges and immunities under the United Nations Charter.
The State of Israel is a signatory -without reservations- to the General Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and enacted its provisions in its domestic law. These provisions oblige the State of Israel to respect United Nations privileges and immunities, including respect for United Nations premises.
UNRWA property and assets including in East Jerusalem are immune from search, requisition, confiscation, expropriation, and any other form of interference.
Claims from the Israeli authorities that UNRWA has no right to occupy the premises are without foundation. They promote anti-UNRWA rhetoric, placing the Agency's facilities and personnel at risk. The Government of Israel has stated publicly that the aim to vacate UNRWA premises in Sheikh Jarrah is to expand Israeli illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.
The State of Israel must take all appropriate measures consistent with international law obligations to ensure that UNRWA's property and installations are respected and protected.
ENDs-
Notes:
- The order referred to in the statement above was transmitted via a letter from the Israel UN Permanent Representative.
- The letter was sent to the Secretary General of the UN on 24 January 2025. It was widely circulated to the media and is available in the public domain.
- Across occupied East Jerusalem, UNRWA has been operating since the 1950's. The Agency provides 70,000 patients with primary health care and 1,150 students with education in UNRWA schools and clinics.
- The UNRWA Headquarters in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem, where the Agency has had an established presence for more than 70 years, is the centre of operations of the Agency's work in the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem.
- The Kalandia compound is a vocational training centre for 350 students (aged 15-19), on a land made available to UNRWA by the Government of Jordan.
- Over the years, there have been repeated attempts to force UNRWA to vacate the premises in Sheikh Jarrah including through arson attacks, protests by extremists and eviction letters. UNRWA staff have been subjected to violence and arrests.
- UNRWA has repeatedly protested against these attempts to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel.
UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency's area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
