By Pesha Magid and Steven Scheer
JERUSALEM, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Israeli authorities entered the U.N. Palestinian refugee company’s East Jerusalem places of work on Monday and raised Israel’s flag, in a raid they stated was ordered over unpaid taxes however was condemned by the company as a problem to worldwide legislation.
The United Nations Reduction and Works Company (UNRWA), which has been accused of bias by Israel, has not used the constructing for the reason that begin of this 12 months after Israel ordered it to vacate all its premises and stop its operations.
“This newest motion represents a blatant disregard of Israel’s obligation as a United Nations Member State to guard & respect the inviolability of UN premises,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.
“To permit this represents a brand new problem to worldwide legislation, one which creates a harmful precedent wherever else the UN is current internationally.”
RAID ORDERED OVER ‘SUBSTANTIAL DEBT’
The Jerusalem municipality stated tax collectors had entered the UNRWA compound over unpaid property taxes of 11 million shekels ($3.4 million) after a number of warnings have been issued and all essential procedures have been adopted.
“This can be a substantial debt that required assortment after repeated requests, warnings and quite a few alternatives given to settle it, which weren’t answered,” it informed Reuters.
UNRWA spokesperson Jonathan Fowler stated the East Jerusalem compound remained UN premises regardless of the Israeli ban on its operations and that the company had no money owed to the municipality.
The U.N. had contacted Israeli authorities a number of instances to remind them of their obligations below a U.N. conference to which Israel is a signatory, he stated.
The Israeli prime minister’s workplace and overseas ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the raid.
Lazzarini stated police bikes and vans and forklifts have been introduced in and communications have been minimize. IT tools, furnishings and different property had been seized, he stated.
The UN Normal Meeting renewed UNRWA’s mandate, first established in 1949, for one more three years on Friday. Fowler declined to take a position on the timing of the raid.
He stated Israel had been conducting a “sustained disinformation marketing campaign” towards UNRWA, whose tasks it desires taken over by different UN our bodies.
Palestinians view UNRWA’s existence as enmeshed with the preservation of their rights as refugees, particularly their hope of returning to properties from which they or their ancestors fled or have been expelled within the struggle over Israel’s creation in 1948.
ISRAELI CRITICISM
Israel has alleged that some UNRWA workers have been members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and took half within the assault on Israel on October 7, 2023 that killed about 1,200 Israelis and led to Israel’s struggle towards Hamas, by which Gaza authorities say greater than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed.
UNRWA has fired a number of workers members however stated Israel had not supplied proof for all of the allegations towards its workers.
Israel’s parliament handed a legislation in October 2024 banning the company from working within the nation and prohibiting officers from having contact with the company.
UNRWA operates in East Jerusalem, which the UN considers territory occupied by Israel. Israel considers all Jerusalem to be a part of the nation.
Israel formally annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, after capturing it within the 1967 Center East struggle. The UN and most nations take into account East Jerusalem to be occupied by Israel.
UNRWA additionally operates in Gaza, the West Financial institution and elsewhere within the Center East, offering education, healthcare, social companies and shelter to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
($1 = 3.2143 shekels)
(Reporting by Pesha Magid and Steven Scheer in Jerusalem, Writing by Alexander Cornwell, Enhancing by Timothy Heritage)