New York, May 21 (SANA) U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Israel’s decision to establish military facilities at a compound belonging to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem, calling the move illegal and a violation of the protected status of U.N. premises.
In a statement released Wednesday, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres considered ongoing Israeli measures targeting UNRWA “completely unacceptable.”
The secretary-general said the Sheikh Jarrah compound in East Jerusalem remained part of the United Nations and warned that the Israeli move represented “an unprecedented violation” of the inviolability of U.N. premises.
Guterres said the measures would obstruct UNRWA’s mandate in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and called on Israeli authorities to reverse the decision immediately and return the compound to the United Nations.
The comments followed reports that Israeli authorities had approved plans to establish military and security facilities on the site of the UNRWA headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the decision earlier this week, accusing Israel of escalating measures against Palestinian institutions and international agencies operating in occupied Jerusalem.
UNRWA, established in 1949, provides humanitarian assistance, education and health services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East and has repeatedly warned about growing operational pressures amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.
N.J/ABD
