UN Refugee Agency condemns ‘intimidation’ by Israeli right-wingers

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, (UNRWA), has condemned protests by Israeli right-wingers outside its headquarters in East Jerusalem as “intimidation” and “vandalism”, Anadolu Agency reports.

Right-wing groups staged protests outside the UNRWA office in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood on Tuesday evening to call for its closure.

The protest, during which demonstrators tried to storm the site, was called by West Jerusalem Deputy Mayor, Aryeh King.

“This protest called by an elected member of the Jerusalem municipality is nothing less than harassment, intimidation, vandalism & damage to UN property,” UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, said on his X account.

“This has nothing to do with freedom of expression.”

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Lazzarini called on the Israeli authorities “to protect United Nations premises, operations and staff at all times.”

The UNRWA has been facing Israeli pressure over unproven allegations that some agency staff were involved in the 7 October Hamas attack.

Israel has repeatedly equated UNRWA staff with Hamas members in efforts to discredit them, providing no proof of the claims, while lobbying hard 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. If the agency no longer exists, argues Israel, then the refugee issue must no longer exist, and the legitimate right for Palestinian refugees to return to their land will be unnecessary. Israel has denied that right of return since the late 1940s, even though its own membership of the UN was made conditional upon Palestinian refugees being allowed to return to their homes and land.

The US and some of its Western allies initially suspended funding to UNRWA in January, but others such as the EU, Canada and Sweden have since backtracked and plan to resume funding.

UNRWA was created by the UN General Assembly more than 70 years ago to assist Palestinians who were forcibly displaced from their land.

The Agency provides crucial support to millions of Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and other areas where large numbers of registered Palestinians live.

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