Statement by the United Nations Country Team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory on Israeli Unauthorized entry into UNRWA Compound
09 December 2025
The United Nations Country Team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory condemns the forcible entry by Israeli police and municipal officials into the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
The compound and buildings remain United Nations premises and are therefore protected under the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. Under this Convention, UN premises are inviolable: they shall be immune from any form of search, seizure, inspection, or interference by any individual or authority. As a State Party, and signatory to the Convention, Israel has a legal obligation to respect, uphold, and implement its provisions.
The unauthorized entry into the compound, the cutting of communications, and the removal and replacement of the UN flag constitute a serious breach of the Convention.
We call on the Israeli authorities to take all necessary steps to restore and fully respect the inviolability of United Nations premises, and to refrain from any further actions affecting the premises, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other applicable norms of international law.
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