Seeking Its Liquidation for Political Purposes
Union for Justice: Israel Continues Targeting UNRWA Through a Series of Repressive Measures
23/7/2025 – Union for Justice
The Union for Justice stated that the Israeli occupation authorities have found in the events of October 7 an opportune moment to implement their plans to terminate the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Palestinian territories, serving political objectives and tightening the noose on Palestinians.
The organization pointed out that Israel’s targeting of UNRWA since October 2023 comes as a continuation of earlier targeting initiated by the U.S. administration in August 2018, when then-President Donald Trump, during his first term, decided to cut all U.S. funding to UNRWA, which represented about 30% of its budget.
In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice decided not to recognize UNRWA as a UN body, which meant stripping it of diplomatic immunity and subjecting it to judicial proceedings within the United States — a move considered a dangerous precedent and a violation of international law and the UN Charter.
The statement added: “The occupying state fabricated numerous lies in an attempt to link UNRWA to ‘terrorism,’ by promoting claims that some of its employees took part in the events of October 7 and that the agency was laundering funds for organizations described as ‘terrorist.’ This campaign pushed 18 countries, in addition to the European Union, to suspend funding to the agency in January 2024, though some later reversed their decisions.”
In March 2024, Israeli authorities denied entry to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini into the Gaza Strip — an unprecedented step, marking the first time he was barred from entering since assuming his position in 2020.
The Union for Justice noted that Israel has effectively banned UNRWA’s operations in East Jerusalem through a series of decisions that began in October 2024, when the Knesset passed a law prohibiting the agency’s work in East Jerusalem. At the same time, the so-called “Israel Land Authority” declared its takeover of the land on which UNRWA’s headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah and the Qalandiya Training Center near Qalandiya refugee camp are located.
According to the Union for Justice, UNRWA’s premises are, by definition, United Nations facilities, and any Israeli action against them constitutes a violation of the UN Charter.
UNRWA provides services to more than 110,000 refugees in Jerusalem. The UN agency administers two refugee camps in the city: Shu’fat Camp, established in 1965 and home to about 16,500 registered refugees, and Qalandiya Camp, established in 1949 and home to about 16,400 registered refugees.
The organization added: “In May, Israeli occupation forces stormed six UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem, forcing students and staff to evacuate in implementation of an earlier decision ordering their closure, depriving more than 600 students of education.”
On July 14, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen issued a decision to cut electricity and water to UNRWA offices in Israel — a measure the agency said would weaken its operations in the West Bank.
The Union for Justice stressed that Israel’s gradual targeting of UNRWA is not simply because it is a humanitarian agency providing essential services to refugees, but because it serves as a legal and political symbol of the refugee issue. The ultimate goal, the organization argued, is to eliminate the concept of the right of return for Palestinian refugees as part of Israel’s broader strategy to settle the conflict in favor of the settlement project in Palestine.
The organization further believes that Israel’s dismantling of UNRWA also aims to tighten pressure on Palestinians and is part of its strategy to transform the West Bank into a hostile environment plagued with crises, thereby pushing people toward forced or “voluntary” migration.
Between the Camps of Jerusalem, Tulkarm, and Jenin
The statement continued: “The unprecedented Israeli assault on the agency, especially in the city of Jerusalem, through a package of racist decisions, was accompanied by direct targeting of Palestinian refugee camps — particularly in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm — with the demolition of hundreds of homes and facilities and the displacement of thousands of residents, with the aim of altering the character of these camps and turning them into mere neighborhoods belonging to those cities.”
It pointed out that Israel’s success in the camps of Jenin and Tulkarm would open the appetite of the occupation to apply the same plan and replicate it in the remaining camps across West Bank cities, since Israeli plans are usually characterized by gradual implementation, testing the waters, and persistence over time.
The organization stressed that the refugee camp is not merely an overcrowded place filled with refugees, but a political symbol with deep moral significance that points to one of the core constants of the Palestinian cause — the right of return, which does not lapse over time.
According to international law, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is a UN agency established in 1949 to provide assistance and protection to Palestine refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
UNRWA works to provide education, healthcare, relief and social services, infrastructure, and microfinance to the refugees registered with it.
