UNRWA ordered to evacuate Jerusalem offices by Thursday

January 26, 2025 by Pesach Benson
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Israel on Saturday formally ordered the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to evacuate all premises in Jerusalem by Thursday when a Knesset ban on the agency is due to take effect.

Israelis protest against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s Jerusalem headquarters on Feb. 5, 2024.                                                Photo by Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS

“Israel expects that UNRWA take all the necessary steps to cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city within the stated time frame,” Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon wrote in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.

Danon cited national security risks as the primary reason for the decision, alleging that UNRWA’s ranks have been infiltrated by Hamas and other terrorist organizations. “The agency’s persistent refusal to address the very grave and material concerns raised by Israel, and to remedy this intolerable situation, has left us with no choice,” he stated.

The letter also identified two properties in Jerusalem — one in the Ma’alot Dafna neighbourhood and another in Kafr Aqab — that must be vacated. Danon accused UNRWA of disregarding Israeli regulations at these locations, creating “safety hazards to its staff and local communities.” He added, “This conduct reflects a clear abuse of UNRWA’s immunities and disregard for local laws and regulations.” UNRWA was ordered to vacate its Jerusalem offices in May over lease violations.

Danon emphasized that the move is consistent with Israel’s obligations under international law, stating, “We are ready to cooperate with the United Nations and its agencies, provided that terrorists do not infiltrate them.”

The decision follows the Knesset’s November 4 vote to end a 1967 agreement governing Israel’s relationship with UNRWA. Israel has also pledged to work with other international partners to ensure humanitarian aid delivery without compromising its security. Palestinian refugees are the only refugee population with its own dedicated UN agency. The rest of the world’s refugees fall under the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

In October, the Knesset passed legislation taking effect later in January stripping UNRWA of its diplomatic immunity, barring Israeli officials from cooperating with the agency, and prohibiting it from operating in Israeli sovereign territory. Israel withdrew its diplomatic recognition of UNRWA one month later. Without work permits for foreign staff or coordination of passage at checkpoints, the agency will not be able to function. Even in Gaza, UNWA coordinates heavily with the Israeli army.

In early January, UN Watch, a Geneva-based watchdog organization, accused UNRWA of having an “unholy alliance” with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Its 55-page report accused Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, and his colleagues of enabling infiltration by Hamas and other terror groups.

According to the report, over 10% of UNRWA’s senior educators in Gaza are members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Israeli authorities have also alleged that hundreds of UNRWA’s 13,000 Gazan employees, including teachers, are active members of Hamas. It also found that the terror groups influenced UNRWA policies, indoctrinated Palestinian children through agency schools, and established military infrastructure near UNRWA’s Gaza facilities.

More than 100 survivors of Hamas’s October 7 attacks filed a $1 billion lawsuit against UNRWA in June, accusing the agency of “aiding and abetting” the terror group. According to the suit, the lead plaintiff, 84-year-old Ditza Heiman of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was held captive for seven weeks in the home of a Palestinian man who said he was a UNRWA teacher at a boy’s school. The suit also alleges that UNRWA enacted an employee payment scheme to benefit Hamas in violation of UN protocols.

Israel’s largest bank froze UNRWA’s account in February over suspicious financial transfers that the agency failed to adequately explain. That same month, Israeli forces discovered a Hamas complex located directly under the UNRWA’s Gaza City headquarters and connected directly to the agency’s electricity system. The facility included numerous computer servers belonging to the terror group.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 90 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead.

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