UN threatens to sue Israel over seizure of UNRWA facility in Jerusalem

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres threatens to take Israel to the International Court of Justice in The Hague over seizure of UNRWA site built on Jewish National Fund land taken by Jordan after 1948 occupation.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel’s takeover of an UNRWA vocational training compound in Jerusalem could trigger a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The warning, issued in a letter to Netanyahu and reported by Israel Hayom, comes days after the latest closure of an UNRWA facility in Jerusalem and the seizure of the property by Israeli authorities.

Guterres cited Section 30 of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which provides a mechanism for disputes over the interpretation or application of the convention to be brought before the ICJ.

“If Israel does not act to comply with its obligations under the General Convention, a situation may arise in which a dispute has crystallized between the United Nations and the State of Israel concerning, inter alia, the interpretation or application of the Convention,” Guterres wrote.

The warning concerns the Qalandia Training Centre in Kafr Aqab, a neighborhood inside Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries but located beyond the security barrier.

Israeli security forces entered the compound on Aug. 25 as authorities moved to take control of the site and turn it over to the Jerusalem Municipality. The operation was conducted under legislation adopted by the Knesset banning UNRWA operations in Israeli territory.

“I am compelled to write once again to express my grave concern regarding yet another flagrant violation of the inviolability of an UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem by the Israeli authorities,” Guterres wrote.

The secretary-general said Israeli authorities and security forces entered the training center without UN permission while UNRWA personnel and service recipients were present preparing for the approaching school year.

Guterres said Israeli personnel subsequently remained at the site and began carrying out work without UN authorization.

He described the Aug. 25 operation as the fifth unauthorized Israeli entry into the facility since May.

“The Kalandia Training Centre was and remains premises of the United Nations,” Guterres wrote, adding that the UN had made “no waiver of its immunity.”

The UN maintains that its facilities are protected from entry, seizure and other interference under the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

Israel disputes the UN’s interpretation of the situation and argues that UNRWA has no property rights to the land.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry noted that the plot has been owned by the Jewish National Fund since 1937 and was allocated to the Jerusalem Municipality.

UNRWA says the Jordanian government made the site available to the agency in 1952, when Jordan illegally occupied eastern Jerusalem, and that it has operated the training center there for more than seven decades.

The Jerusalem Municipality has already begun converting the property into an educational and community complex intended primarily for Arab residents of Kafr Aqab.

More than NIS 40 million is being invested in the first stage, which includes a municipal boys’ high school. Longer-term plans call for additional schools, sports facilities, healthcare services and a mosque.

“Despite holding no property rights to the plot, UNRWA has walled off the land for decades, denying local residents much-needed space for schools and community services,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said after the takeover.

Netanyahu defended the operation and linked it directly to legislation passed against UNRWA.

“Israel will not allow an organization whose employees were involved in terrorism and in the October 7 massacre to operate on its territory, and will take action against it using every means at its disposal,” the prime minister said.

Israel has accused numerous UNRWA employees of ties to Hamas and has presented evidence that some agency personnel participated in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

UNRWA has said the actions of individual employees do not justify dismantling the organization and has rejected Israeli allegations that it is institutionally tied to Hamas.

The Knesset passed two laws in October 2024 targeting UNRWA. One prohibits the agency from operating in Israeli territory, while another bars Israeli government agencies and officials from maintaining contact with it. The restrictions took effect in 2025 and were expanded through subsequent legislation.

Guterres’ latest letter also referred to previous Israeli actions involving UNRWA property in Jerusalem, including the January 2026 demolition of structures at the agency’s former Sheikh Jarrah headquarters and steps to cut water and electricity to additional facilities.

“These actions against UNRWA are wholly unacceptable,” Guterres wrote, while saying the UN was also reserving its rights regarding possible claims for damage to its compounds and property.

The secretary-general said Israel has a “legal obligation” to reverse the measures at Qalandia and prevent similar actions from occurring again.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected the warning.

“The State of Israel is the sovereign in Jerusalem and will act in accordance with the law and the decisions it has made,” Danon said. “UNRWA long ago lost the right to claim immunity after its employees were involved in terrorism and in the October 7 massacre.”

“The threats from the UN secretary-general will not change reality,” he added. “Israel will continue to uphold its sovereignty, protect its security and enforce its laws in Jerusalem.”

António GuterresInternational Court of JusticeUnited NationsUNRWA