Israel has decided to confiscate the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, with plans to build illegal settlement units on the site, according to media reports.
The Israel Hayom newspaper stated that the entire UNRWA area in Ma’alot Dafna is set to be transformed into a housing project consisting of 1,440 units, and that the project is currently in the “preparatory stages.” UNRWA has yet to comment on these developments.
Aryeh King, the far-right deputy mayor of Jerusalem, has been vocal in recent months about the need for thousands of illegal units to expand the Ma’alot Dafna settlement.
Israeli authorities had previously ordered UNRWA to vacate its headquarters by May 30, citing the agency’s “failure to obtain approval” from the Israel Lands Authority for constructing its facility on that land.
However, UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler stated that the organization learned of the decision through the media and had not received direct communication from Israeli officials. He emphasized, “UNRWA has maintained a presence at this headquarters and another facility in East Jerusalem since the early 1950s.”
At the same time, the Israeli Knesset is preparing to vote on a bill that would designate UNRWA as a “terrorist” organization, effectively preventing it from operating in East Jerusalem.
Israel has been actively lobbying for the closure of UNRWA, which is the only UN agency specifically tasked with addressing the needs of Palestinian refugees.
Established by a UN resolution in 1949, UNRWA is mandated to provide assistance and protection to refugees in five operational areas: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza.
