Israel to 'confiscate' UNRWA HQ in East Jerusalem for illegal settlements

Israel has decided to confiscate the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem to build illegal settlement units on its site, according to media reports.

“According to information released to the public today, the entire UNRWA area in Ma'alot Dafna, Jerusalem, is slated to become a housing project with 1,440 units,” the Israel Hayom newspaper reported.

It noted that the project is in the “preparatory stages.”

UNRWA had not commented on the report.

Aryeh King, the far-right deputy mayor of Jerusalem, has repeatedly demanded in recent months the establishment of thousands of illegal units to expand the Ma'alot Dafna settlement.

Israeli authorities ordered UNRWA to vacate its headquarters in East Jerusalem on May 30 within 30 days under the pretext of the UN agency’s “failure to obtain approval” from the Israel Lands Authority to construct the facility on that land.

But UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler told Anadolu Agency at that time: “We learned about the decision through the media and did not receive any information directly from the Israeli authorities.”

“We are unequivocal about our stance. UNRWA has maintained a presence in this headquarters and another facility in East Jerusalem since the early 1950s,” said Fowler.

Simultaneously with the decision to confiscate the headquarters, the Israeli Knesset, or parliament, is preparing to vote on a bill in its second and third readings that designates UNRWA as a "terrorist" and prevents it from operating in East Jerusalem.

Israel has been lobbying to have UNRWA closed, as it is the only UN agency to have a specific mandate to look after the basic needs of Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA was established by a UN resolution in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to refugees in five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, occupied West Bank and Gaza.