Israel raids UNRWA compound in Jerusalem, drawing Palestinian condemnation

The Palestinian presidency and factions on Tuesday condemned Israel's evacuation of a UN compound in East Jerusalem, urging international action to protect UN facilities, reported Xinhua.

Earlier in the day, Israeli authorities launched a demolition operation against the Qalandia Vocational Training Center -- run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) -- in Kafr Aqab, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian sources.

The sources told Xinhua that in the presence of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, dozens of Border Police officers evacuated the compound, detained roughly 40 staff members, and closed the facility.

"No institution whose employees are involved in terrorism or serve as a cover for Hamas" should remain open in Jerusalem or elsewhere in Israel, Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported, quoting Ben-Gvir.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the land on which the facility was built does not belong to UNRWA but to the Jewish National Fund, and that Israeli authorities had already drawn up plans to establish an educational complex there.

In response, the Palestinian presidency called on the UN Security Council to convene urgently and adopt binding decisions to halt what it described as "Israeli attacks" on UN facilities.

In a press statement published by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, the presidency called for the protection of UN institutions so that they can carry out their duties toward Palestinian refugees in accordance with international law.

The Palestinian presidency said that targeting UN facilities and institutions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, constitutes a "serious violation" of international law and the immunity of international institutions.

Separately, the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) condemned the Israeli action, denouncing it as a continuation of Israel's "aggression" against UNRWA.

In a statement, Fatah warned that allowing Israeli authorities to seize UN facilities, alter their functions, and demolish them constitutes a "dangerous precedent" that undermines the international system and could entrench the occupation as a fait accompli imposed by force.

Hamas also condemned the raid, saying a lack of effective response is emboldening Israel to "persist in its aggression," urging the international community to take immediate action, protect UNRWA, and adopt deterrent measures against Israel.

Established in 1952, the Qalandia Vocational Training Center offers technical and vocational courses to young Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, training roughly 340 students annually, according to UNRWA.