The United Nations (UN) has strongly condemned the unauthorized and forceful entry by Israeli police and municipal officials into a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) facility in East Jerusalem. The incident is being treated as a blatant disregard for international law and the inviolability of UN premises.
Today in the early morning, Israeli police accompanied by municipal officials forcibly entered the @UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem. Police motorcycles, as well as trucks & forklifts, were brought in & all communications were cut. Furniture, IT equipment & other property was…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) December 8, 2025
Details of the Forced Entry
According to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, Israeli police, accompanied by municipal officials, forcibly entered the compound. The operation involved:
- Bringing in police motorcycles, trucks, and forklifts.
- Cutting all communications within the facility.
- Seizing furniture, IT equipment, and other property.
- Pulling down the UN flag and replacing it with an Israeli flag.
The compound has been vacant since the beginning of the year, following the passage of “anti-UNRWA legislation” by the Israeli parliament. This action was preceded by months of harassment, including arson attacks, hateful demonstrations, and intimidation supported by a large-scale disinformation campaign against the agency.
UN Condemnation and Demand for Restoration
UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement vehemently condemning the unauthorized entry, emphasizing the facility’s protected status.
“This compound remains United Nations premises and is inviolable and immune from any other form of interference,” Secretary-General Guterres stated. “I urge Israel to immediately take all necessary steps to restore, preserve and uphold the inviolability of UNRWA premises and to refrain from taking any further action with regard to UNRWA premises, in line with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and its other obligations under international law.”
UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini labeled the action a “blatant disregard” of Israel’s obligation as a UN Member State. He warned that this action creates a dangerous precedent globally: “To allow this represents a new challenge to international law, one that creates a dangerous precedent anywhere else the UN is present across the world.”
Legal Context of Inviolability
The UNRWA Chief stressed that despite any domestic action taken by Israel, the compound retains its status as a UN premises, immune from any form of interference.
- International Obligation: Israel is a party to the Convention on the Privileges & Immunities of the UN. This international treaty makes UN premises inviolable—immune from search and/or seizure—and makes UN property and assets immune from legal process.
- ICJ Mandate: Lazzarini added that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has also previously underscored that Israel is obliged to cooperate with UNRWA and other UN agencies.
UNRWA provides essential health, education, and other services to roughly six million Palestine refugees in five locations across the Middle East, including the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The agency has been under sustained attack since the start of the latest hostilities in Gaza.
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