The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Wednesday rejected Israeli assertions that the Israeli government owns the property on which the agency’s eastern Jerusalem headquarters sits.
“Contrary to reports in the media, the Israeli Government does not own or have rights to the property that houses UNRWA's Sheikh Jarrah compound in East Jerusalem," UNRWA Commissioner‑General Philippe Lazzarini said in a press statement quoted by the Xinhua news agency.
Lazzarini called the Israeli claims “false and illegal," insisting that “there has never been a transfer of property." He said UNRWA has leased the land from the Jordanian government since 1952 and that Israel is now seizing it “in blatant breach of international law."
He added that both the International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly have ruled that Israel’s presence in eastern Jerusalem is illegal and must end “as rapidly as possible."
According to Lazzarini, “The Israeli authorities have no sovereign rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and the application of Israeli laws there is unlawful."
His comments came one day after Israel demolished several buildings inside UNRWA’s eastern Jerusalem compound.
The Knesset passed legislation in October 2024 banning UNRWA from operating in the country and prohibiting officials from contacting the agency. The law was amended last month to bar electricity and water from being supplied to UNRWA facilities. Israeli authorities also seized the agency’s eastern Jerusalem offices.
UNRWA has long been criticized for its cooperation with the Hamas terrorist organization, which has been proven time and time again. That criticism has increased since Israel provided evidence in 2024 that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Following the Israeli revelations, the UN formed a review group, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, to look into the Israeli allegations.
The group said in its report that it found neutrality-related issues" in UNRWA but also claimed that Israel had yet to provide evidence for allegations that a significant number of its staff were members of terrorist organizations.
Despite all the evidence showing UNRWA’s deep ties to Hamas, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently ruled that Israel must facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through UN agencies, including UNRWA. That ruling was criticized by Israel as well as by the US.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ripped Israel for demolishing the UNRWA Jerusalem compound.
In response, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein reposted the condemnation on social media, attaching a video documenting Hamas terrorist Mohammad Marwan Abu Itiwi taking Israeli hostages on October 7, 2023, together with a screenshot of an UNRWA list showing that Itiwi was an UNRWA driver, together with his employee number.
“Was this your UNRWA Employee of the Month?" wrote Marmorstein.