10/5/2024–|Last updated: 10/5/202401:56 AM (Mecca time)
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) decided to close its office complex in occupied East Jerusalem after Israelis set fire to its vicinity twice.
The agency’s commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, said Thursday that it was decided to close the headquarters until the Israeli authorities take appropriate security measures.
Circulating video clips showed fire igniting in the vicinity of the headquarters, but no casualties were reported.
Eyewitnesses from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood confirmed that settlers deliberately set fires in the vicinity of the agency’s headquarters before they left the place.
It is noteworthy that this is the second attack on the UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem during the past hours, as a number of settlers, protected by the occupation police, attacked the UNRWA headquarters the day before yesterday, Wednesday, and tried to storm it in the presence of the occupation police, who did not intervene to prevent them.
The UN agency described the protests organized by the Israeli extreme right in front of its headquarters in East Jerusalem as “intimidation and sabotage.”
Settlers set fires in the courtyard of the UNRWA headquarters #UNRWA In Jerusalem
🔴 Agency Commissioner: We decided to close the headquarters until appropriate security measures are taken#Aljazeera live | #Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/C6iZtXZ9oR
– Tel Aviv Tribune Mubasher (@ajmubasher) May 9, 2024
Jordanian European condemnation
Meanwhile, Jordan condemned the setting of fire by Israeli extremists in the vicinity of the UNRWA headquarters in occupied Jerusalem.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry warned in a statement against repeated attacks on the agency’s headquarters, as it is a flagrant violation of the rules of international law.
The European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management also condemned the attack on the UNRWA headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem.
The European official said that the Israeli authorities must ensure the security and safety of UN staff and buildings.
Since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation launched by the Palestinian resistance on October 7, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees has been subjected to a fierce Israeli campaign aimed at dismantling it and ending its work in caring for Palestinian refugees.
Israel is launching this campaign based on allegations that a number of UNRWA employees participated in the October 7 attack or are linked to Palestinian resistance factions, allegations that have so far failed to be proven.
Two weeks ago, a committee appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna issued a report in which it said that the Israeli government had not yet provided evidence to support allegations that UNRWA employees were linked to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) or the Islamic Jihad movement.
