Post #4922

📰 Israel Seizes UNRWA’s Jerusalem Headquarters, Escalates Crackdown Israeli officials seized the Jerusalem headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), overseeing the demolition of several structures in its compound. The move marks a new escalation in Israel’s campaign against the agency, which has long been a major aid provider in the West Bank and Gaza Strip but has faced sweeping legal restrictions from Israel over the past two years. ​ Defiance and Denunciation Israel’s foreign ministry defended the action, saying UNRWA “has long ceased to be a humanitarian aid organization, serving instead as a greenhouse for terrorism.” UNRWA’s chief, Philippe Lazzarini, called the move “a new level of open & deliberate defiance of international law”. ​ Legal and Diplomatic Clash UNRWA was established in 1949 to aid Palestinian refugees and their descendants. Israel has passed laws banning the agency and stripping it of diplomatic immunity, even allowing the seizure of its properties. While the compound has been largely vacant since international staff left, Israeli officials entered in December and raised an Israeli flag, asserting control. ​ Who’s Playing by the Rules? Israel claims the seizure is legal under both national and international law, but UNRWA insists the compound remains under U.N. protection. As the agency continues some operations in East Jerusalem, the standoff raises questions about the future of humanitarian aid and the limits of international law in the region. ​ #Israel#UNRWA#Jerusalem#HumanitarianAid#InternationalLaw#MiddleEast 📱American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸