- Israeli forces on Tuesday seized the last remaining facility run by the UN agency for refugees, UNRWA, in East Jerusalem.
- Led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the forces raided the Qalandiya Vocational Training Institute in Kafr Aqab, north of Jerusalem, before evacuating the 88-dunam (8.8-hectare) campus.
- Around 40 employees were briefly questioned and then ordered to leave and not return, according to Palestinian sources.
- The centre had provided free vocational training to hundreds of Palestinian refugee teenagers for more than 70 years.
- After the takeover, Israeli forces raised the Israeli flag in the institute's courtyard.
- UNRWA condemned the raid, saying armed Israeli forces had entered a UN facility without the organisation's authorisation or consent.
- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the incursion, stating that the entry of armed security forces into a United Nations facility is unacceptable.
- Palestinian officials and community leaders called for international action, warning of broader targeting of international organizations.
- Founded in 1952 on land made available by the Jordanian government, the Qalandiya Vocational Training Institute was among the first UNRWA buildings established in East Jerusalem.
- Israel's parliament passed a law in 2024 banning UNRWA from operating in Israel, following allegations that some agency staff had participated in the 7 October 2023 attack from Gaza.
- Israel began enforcing the ban in 2025, including in occupied East Jerusalem, which it annexed in 1980 in a move against international law.
- Since then, Israel has shut six UNRWA-run schools and three health centres, as well as the agency's headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.
Israeli forces, under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seized the Qalandiya Vocational Training Institute, the last UNRWA facility in East Jerusalem, on Tuesday.1269
The center had provided vocational training to hundreds of Palestinian refugee teenagers for over 70 years.
"On my watch there is no Unrwa, there is no management, they will not be here," Ben Gvir stated in a video from the site, where Israeli flags were raised post-evacuation.
The UN condemned the incursion, emphasizing that "the entry of armed security forces into a United Nations facility, without the authorisation or consent of the United Nations, is unacceptable."
This action follows a series of Israeli measures against UNRWA, including a law passed in 2024 banning its operations in Israel, citing alleged involvement of its staff in the October 7 Hamas attack.10
The Qalandiya center, established in 1952, trained around 340 Palestinians annually in essential skills like carpentry and plumbing.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm, stating that the raid would deprive young people of vital vocational education.7
"The State of Israel will not allow an organisation whose employees were involved in terrorism and the October 7 massacre to operate on its territory," Netanyahu asserted, reinforcing the government's stance against UNRWA.
The raid occurred amid heightened tensions, with Israeli forces reportedly using live ammunition against protesters in the vicinity, resulting in injuries.
The UN's spokesman reiterated the inviolability of UN premises under international law, highlighting the ongoing conflict over the agency's presence in the region.
“The raid, which involved around 40 employees being questioned and expelled, came after Israel's 2024 law banning UNRWA, which had already shut six schools and three health centres. UN Secretary General Guterres called the incursion 'greatly alarming,' warning it would deprive young people of vocational education.”
Middle East Eye
BBC
