Israeli police made a surprise visit to the UNRWA East Jerusalem compound, claiming to assist the municipal government in debt collection

Israeli police made a surprise visit to the compound of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Near East in East Jerusalem and raised the Israeli flag.

Reuters reported that Dean Elsdunne, a spokesperson for the Israeli police, said on Monday (December 8) that the police accompanied municipal workers in Jerusalem on the same day to carry out debt collection procedures at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) compound.

UNRWA is the main aid agency on which the Palestinians in Gaza rely for survival. Israel has accused it of favoritism and has ordered it to cease operations throughout the country since the beginning of this year. The building that was suddenly visited this time is no longer in use.

UNRWA Director Lazarini wrote in X that Israel's move "blatantly disregards Israel's obligation as a UN member to protect UN facilities inviolable." "Condoning such behavior will pose a new challenge to international law and set a dangerous precedent for the United Nations at any of its global sites." "

Jonathan Fowler, a spokesperson for the NNRWA, stated that despite Israel's ban on the agency's operations, the compound in East Jerusalem remains a UN facility and does not owe any debts to the municipal authorities.

Neither the municipal government nor the Israeli authorities have commented. The security chief of the compound entrusted by UNRWA said that municipal personnel forcibly broke into the compound early Monday morning and detained several security guards. Several hours later, the Israeli flag was raised on the top of one of the buildings in the compound.

Lazarini said that the police mobilized electric bikes, trucks and forklifts, cut off communication lines, and also seized information equipment, furniture and other properties.

The United Nations General Assembly just extended the authorization for UNRWA for three years on Friday (5th). Fowler refused to speculate on the timing of Israel's surprise visit.

He indicated that Israel has long been launching a "continuous disinformation offensive" against UNRWA, with the intention of transferring its responsibilities to other agencies such as the UNHCR.

Israel claims that some UNRWA workers are actually Hamas members and participated in the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. UNRWA has fired several employees involved, but said that the Israeli side has not provided evidence for all the accusations.

In addition to East Jerusalem, UNRWA also operates in Gaza, the West Bank and other parts of the Middle East, providing education, medical care, social services and shelters for millions of Palestinians.