UNRWA Chief Strongly Condemns Israeli Seizure of East Jerusalem Training Centre

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has strongly condemned the recent Israeli seizure of its East Jerusalem training centre, denouncing the raid as part of a calculated campaign to weaken the organisation and undermine Palestinian rights.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Wednesday, acting Commissioner-General Christian Saunders accused Israel of violating protected UN premises. However, he firmly maintained that "might doesn’t win out" in resolving the ongoing conflict and asserted that the agency is "not going anywhere".

Israeli forces raided and seized the Qalandiya Training Centre in the Kafr Aqab neighbourhood on Tuesday, forcibly expelling UNRWA employees and ordering them not to return. According to the Jerusalem governorate, five Palestinians sustained injuries from Israeli gunfire near the location.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir participated in the operation, declaring that there was "no place for the agency in Jerusalem and Israel". Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the evacuation as lawful, stating it was conducted under legislation passed by Israel.

Saunders emphasized that the takeover deprives hundreds of young Palestinians of essential education and directly breaches protections guaranteed to UN facilities under international law. "Three hundred and forty young people are not going to get the education, not going to get the training they need," he stated, lamenting that predominantly disadvantaged students will miss out on acquiring skills for a dignified life.

The Qalandiya facility forms a vital part of UNRWA’s network, serving approximately 16,000 refugees from the Qalandiya refugee camp and other areas of the occupied West Bank. The raid occurred following the closure of the nearby Qalandiya checkpoint alongside a heavy deployment of Israeli military personnel.

Israeli authorities claimed the property belongs to the Jewish National Fund and has been reassigned to the Jerusalem Municipality for a planned educational and community complex, citing Israeli legislation passed in October 2024 that restricts UNRWA operations. Conversely, UNRWA rejected these assertions, reiterating that the site remains a protected United Nations facility.

Saunders noted that UNRWA faces intense pressure amid Israel’s war on Gaza and abuses in the occupied West Bank, which have included the deaths of several aid workers. He warned that the broader offensive aims to defund and eliminate UNRWA to suppress the core issue of Palestinian refugee rights, including the right of return, reparations, and compensation.

Emphasizing the agency's UN General Assembly mandate, Saunders confirmed that UNRWA will persist in delivering humanitarian and development services until a durable solution is reached or the General Assembly decides otherwise. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the United Nations lacks the unilateral power to halt such incursions without concerted collective action from member states, which has been absent for over seven decades.