Israel seized UNRWA compound in Jerusalem
Israeli security forces forcibly seized and removed the employees inside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Kalandia Training Center in East Jerusalem on Tuesday.
TL;DR
- Israeli security forces forcibly seized and removed employees from the UNRWA Kalandia Training Center in East Jerusalem.
- The center had been UNRWA's oldest vocational training center, operating for over 70 years.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited accusations of UNRWA employees' involvement in terrorism and the October 7th attacks as justification for the action.
- Israel plans to build a new "educational and community complex" on the site, including schools, a mosque, and sports and healthcare facilities.
- The UN Special Coordinator stated that UN premises are inviolable and immune from interference.
- Disputes exist regarding land ownership, with the Israeli Foreign Ministry claiming the Jewish National Fund has owned the land since 1937 and UNRWA claiming ownership through the Jordanian government.