Israel to turn UNRWA complex in Jerusalem into settlement

The Israel Land Authority (ILA) announced the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem will be confiscated to build an Israeli settlement.

"The UNRWA complex, located in Ma'alot Dafna, Jerusalem, is planned to become a housing project with 1,440 units," according to the Jerusalem Post.

The project is reportedly in its preparatory stage. 

UNRWA has not commented on the report.

The far-right deputy mayor of Jerusalem, Aryeh King, has repeatedly demanded in recent months the establishment of thousands of illegal units to expand the Ma'alot Dafna settlement.

Israeli authorities ordered UNRWA to vacate its headquarters in East Jerusalem on May 30 within 30 days under the pretext of the UN agency’s “failure to obtain approval” from the ILA  to construct the facility on that land.

Illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jersulamen have steadily increased over the last few years. 

"The total number of settlement plans and tenders advanced by Israel in 2023 was higher than in 2022, outdoing 2022 as the year with the highest number of settlement advancements recorded since 2012," a 2023 report by the Office of the European Union Representative said. 

"From the perspective of safeguarding a two state solution where Jerusalem could serve as a capital of both states, the Israeli settlement developments on the southern periphery of Jerusalem is severing the chances for contiguity between East Jerusalem and the West Bank," the report added. 

The recent announcement comes after the Israeli Knesset passed a first draft bill to designate UNRWA as a terrorist organisation. A second and third reading are expected over the coming week. 

Israel alleged 12 UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack, which killed over 1,000 people and claimed 250 hostages. Several Western states had suspended their funding to the organisation in response to the claims. 

An investigation by the UN Office of Oversight Services in August found nine staff members "may" have been involved in the attack, leading to their termination. 

Funding was reinstated by most countries between March and April, three months after Israel's allegations and before the UN completed its investigation. The US' funding remains suspended until at least March 2025. 

UNRWA was established by a UN resolution in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to refugees in its five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.