Jerusalem Municipality disputes UNRWA claim of Shuafat facility takeover

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has accused personnel associated with the Jerusalem Municipality of entering its facilities in East Jerusalem's Shuafat refugee camp without authorization. Roland Friedrich, UNRWA's West Bank director, stated that the municipality's personnel broke locks to access UNRWA sites, including a school compound, health center, and community services office, alleging this action violates international law.

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personnel associated with the Jerusalem Municipality have in recent days entered UNRWA facilities without authorization, including the school compound, health center, and community services office.

The Jerusalem Municipality, however, disputes UNRWA's claims, asserting that the properties are privately owned. The municipality stated it has a usage agreement with the owners, who allege that UNRWA unlawfully took control of the properties and failed to make payments. The municipality intends to establish educational institutions at the site to serve residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

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These are not UNRWA properties but privately owned properties for which the municipality has signed a usage agreement. According to the owners of those properties, UNRWA itself unlawfully took control of the properties and did not make payments throughout this period.

Friedrich countered the municipality's account, explaining that the land is a mix of privately owned and Jordanian-custodianship property, with UNRWA holding a public-use allocation. He emphasized that UNRWA facilities are protected under the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, to which Israel is a signatory. The agency claims to have invested millions of dollars from international donors into the construction and maintenance of the schools and health center.

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The municipality intends to open educational institutions at the site for the benefit of residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

UNRWA warns that Israel's closure of these sites will deprive 550 Palestinian children of education and restrict access to health services for 20,000 patients. This dispute follows Jerusalem's late 2024 legislation that banned UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory, including East Jerusalem, citing alleged Hamas presence within the agency's ranks.

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As a UN agency, UNRWA schools and health facilities in the Shuafat Camp are protected by the privileges and immunities of the United Nations under international law and that the 'premises are inviolable and immune from any form of legal process or interference, in accordance with the terms of the Convention of Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations to which the State of Israel is a signatory.