UNRWA has Five Days to Leave Jerusalem

Photo Credit: Jamal Awad / Flash 90

UNRWA office in Jerusalem. UNRWA is tightly linked to Hamas.

Israel notified the U.N. on Saturday that it must evacuate its personal from all U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) premises in Jerusalem no later than Jan. 30, as Knesset legislation banning the agency’s operations within the Jewish state will take effect on Thursday.

“Israel expects that UNRWA take all the necessary steps to cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city within the stated time frame,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in a letter addressed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.

Outlawing UNRWA in Israel “came as a direct response to the acute national security risks posed by the widespread infiltration of UNRWA’s ranks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations, and the agency’s persistent refusal to address the very grave and material concerns raised by Israel, and to remedy this intolerable situation,” the letter notes.

Danon stressed that months of talks with the U.N. to address the situation have been met with “blatant disregard,” to a point “beyond repair.”

The ambassador specified two properties in Jerusalem to be evacuated, one in the Ma’alot Dafna neighborhood and the other in the Kafr Aqab neighborhood, both in the capital’s northeast. He accused UNRWA of flouting Israeli rules in these premises and creating “safety hazards to its staff and local communities.”

The letter continues, “This conduct reflects a clear abuse of UNRWA’s immunities and disregard for local laws and regulations, contrary to its obligations under Article 21 of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.”

Danon emphasized that Israel’s demand fully aligns with its commitment to its obligations under international law and its readiness to cooperate with the U.N. and its agencies—as long as these are not infiltrated by terrorists.

On Nov. 4, the Knesset terminated the 1967 agreement outlining the terms of its relations with UNRWA.

The director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry sent a letter to U.N. General Assembly President Philémon Yang of Cameroon, explaining that Jerusalem “withdraws its request issued to UNRWA,” and instead “will continue to work with international partners, including other United Nations agencies, to ensure the facilitation of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not undermine Israel’s security.”

Then-Foreign Minister Israel Katz said, “UNRWA, whose employees took part in the Oct. 7 massacre and many of whose workers are Hamas operatives, is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip, not part of the solution.

“The U.N. was provided with countless pieces of evidence regarding Hamas operatives who work at UNRWA and about the use of UNRWA facilities for terrorism, and nothing was done,” he added.