The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates strongly condemned Israel’s seizure of the land on which the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem to convert the site into a colonial outpost comprising 1,440 housing units as a flagrant breach of international law.
The ministry further emphasized that this action undermines the immunity and status of UN institutions, breaches the United Nations Charter and its membership conditions and contravenes UN resolutions, particularly Security Council Resolution 2730, adopted on May 24, 2024, which obligates states to respect and protect UN institutions and humanitarian workers, a mandate that applies to UNRWA, its facilities and staff.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the Ministry emphasized that the occupation’s systematic attacks and incitement campaign against UNRWA reflect a deliberate effort to liquidate the issue of Palestinian refugees and their legitimat
e right of return. The ministry pointed out that this intent has been starkly evident during Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza, as well as in refugee camps both in Palestine and in the diaspora. These efforts have been marked by public statements and targeted assaults on UNRWA, its officials, facilities, institutions, resources and personnel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its commitment to pursuing political, diplomatic and legal measures to safeguard UNRWA and ensure the effective fulfillment of its mandate, in line with relevant UN General Assembly resolutions, including Resolutions 194 (III), 302 (IV), and others.
The ministry urged the international community to intensify efforts to safeguard UNRWA’s mandate, ensure its continued operation without replacement, and provide the necessary funding to support the agency until the rights of Palestinian refugees are fully realized in accordance with international law and UN resolutions, particularly Resolution 194, whic
h guarantees the refugees’ right to return to their homes from which they were displaced.
In this regard, the Ministry referenced the International Court of Justice’s ruling, which affirmed that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, which falls within the areas of UNRWA’s operations.
The ministry called on the international community to support the Palestinian stance against this unjust Israeli measure against the agency, viewing it as an additional tool to entrench the occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people.
It called for necessary actions to hold Israel accountable as a rogue state and to prosecute its leaders as war criminals.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA