UNRWA Warns of Closure of Qalandiya Training Center by Occupation and Considers the Demolition of Its Headquarters in Jerusalem a Shameful Act

SadaNews - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned on Friday that the Israeli occupation authorities are planning to close the Qalandiya training center, which threatens to halt the education of hundreds of students there.

UNRWA, through its communications director Jonathan Fowler, stated during an online press conference as part of the weekly press briefing of the UN office in Geneva, that the Qalandiya training center educates 350 students from the West Bank in skills such as plumbing and vehicle maintenance, adding that the center is at risk of closure because "the land on which it is situated is at risk of being seized by the Israeli authorities."

He explained, "If the center is forcibly closed, which we fear may happen within days, there will be no educational alternative for these students, and thus a large group of Palestinian refugees will be deprived of economic opportunities, and the right to education will be threatened there, and the international community must wake up."

In this context, Fowler described the occupation's seizure of UNRWA's headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem and the demolition of its buildings as "a new level of blatant and deliberate challenge to international law."

He stated, "This is a place that enjoys the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, and it is horrifying that the Israeli authorities would raid this compound and demolish it; this is a shameful act that could have far-reaching global repercussions."

He added, "The raiding of a UN compound, its demolition, and confiscation is unprecedented, and constitutes a blatant violation of international law."

Fowler referenced the ruling from the International Court of Justice issued last October, which states that "Israel is obligated to facilitate UNRWA's operations, not to hinder them," considering that what they witnessed this week is in complete contradiction to this ruling.

He noted that "the Israeli authorities claimed ownership of the land on which the agency's compound is located," stressing that "the International Court of Justice and the United Nations General Assembly have repeatedly affirmed that the occupation of East Jerusalem is illegal, and therefore Israel has no sovereign rights over this land."

He continued: "This opens the door for further actions, and we are deeply concerned that the next step may be the seizure of our vocational training center in East Jerusalem, which would deprive hundreds of students of their right to education."