Israel seizes Unrwa headquarters' land in occupied East Jerusalem
Announcement comes as Knesset pushes forward bill to ban refugee agency activities in Israel and occupied territories
An Israeli
child at the entrance of the headquarters of the United Nations Relief
and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in East Jerusalem (Ahmad
Gharabli/AFP)
10 October 2024
Israel has confiscated land on which the headquarters of the UN agency for
Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) is located in Jerusalem, with plans to build 1,440 settlement units on the site.
According to Israel Hayom, the free daily newspaper, the Israel Land Authority announced the confiscation of the land in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
Dan Iloz, a Likud MP, told the paper that the "expropriation of land in Jerusalem is an important step, but not enough" and denounced Unrwa as "a hotbed for terrorism under a humanitarian guise".
The announcement comes a day after members of the United Nations
Security Council warned Israel against proceeding with a law, promoted
by Iloz and others, aimed at curbing Unrwa's ability to operate.
The Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approved two
bills on Sunday which effectively aim at ending Unrwa's activity and
privileges in Israel.
Washington's envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned that
the bill risked "hindering its ability to communicate with Israeli
officials and removing privileges and immunities afforded to UN
organizations and personnel around the globe".
In January, a number of countries suspended financing for
the agency after Israel accused 12 of the 30,000 Unrwa employees of
participating in Hamas's surprise attack on southern Israel on 7
October.
Most resumed funding, however, after a UN report found that Israeli authorities had not provided "any supporting evidence" to back up allegations of Unrwa staff links to Hamas.
Germany, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Japan were among the countries to restore funding to Unrwa following the report.
The US has held out on funding the organisation, however.
Algeria, a non-permanent Security Council member, warned on Wednesday
that "for years, the Israeli authorities have made clear its desire,
its will to dismantle Unrwa.
"It symbolises the Palestinian refugees and their inviolable rights.
We reiterate that the rights of Palestinian refugees are not subject to
statutes of limitation," said Amar Bendjama, ambassador of Algeria and
its representative at the UN.