Israeli military forces surrounded and subsequently demolished a United Nations facility in East Jerusalem on Tuesday, an act the head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency has condemned as an unprecedented violation of international law. According to reports from the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the operation began with troops cordoning off the area before bulldozers moved in to dismantle the structure.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), stated via social media platform X that Israeli soldiers raised their national flag within the UN compound during the operation. He characterized the demolition as a deliberate breach of international obligations that protect UN facilities from such actions.
Lazzarini emphasized that Israel, like all UN member states, is legally bound to respect the inviolability of UN operations and property. This incident represents the latest escalation in measures taken against UNRWA, following recent Israeli decisions to shutter a health center operated by the agency and cut essential utilities including water and electricity to its facilities.
The UN official contextualized these actions within what he described as a broader campaign of attacks and disinformation against UNRWA. He noted these measures directly contradict the International Court of Justice’s October ruling, which affirmed Israel’s obligation under international law to facilitate rather than obstruct the agency’s humanitarian operations. The court specifically reiterated that Israel holds no jurisdictional authority over East Jerusalem.
Lazzarini issued a stark warning that today’s targeting of UNRWA establishes a dangerous precedent that could tomorrow affect any international organization or diplomatic mission, whether in occupied Palestinian territories or elsewhere globally. He called the demolition a wake-up call for the international community regarding the protection of multilateral institutions.