Capitals, Aug. 26 (SANA) Qatar, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and UNRWA condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ raid on the Qalandia Training Center in occupied East Jerusalem, saying the entry violated international law and the inviolability of United Nations premises.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that the raid constituted a violation of international humanitarian law and a challenge to the will of the international community.
The ministry warned that Israel’s systematic targeting of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, was aimed at dismantling the agency and depriving millions of Palestinians in Palestine and neighboring countries of essential services.
Qatar called on the international community to take urgent action to protect UNRWA premises and confront what the ministry described as unlawful Israeli measures to prevent their potentially catastrophic consequences.
The ministry reiterated Qatar’s full support for UNRWA and of an independent state along the 1967 lines, with Jerusalem as its capital.
Israeli occupation forces entered Qalandia refugee camp and the town of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied Jerusalem, on Tuesday and began evacuating and demolishing a UNRWA compound in the town, according to the source material.
Israeli authorities took control of the Qalandia Training Center and evacuated its employees Tuesday, prompting Arab and international condemnations.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called for international measures to protect the Qalandia center and other UNRWA facilities in occupied East Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territory, ensure the return of their staff and enable them to carry out their duties.
The ministry said condemnation alone was no longer sufficient in the face of repeated actions against U.N. institutions and attempts to impose facts on the ground by force.
Guterres calls Israeli entry unlawful
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the Israeli authorities’ entry into the Qalandia Training Center on Tuesday, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, published by UN News.
“The Secretary-General strongly condemns today’s unlawful entry by the Israeli authorities, including their security forces, into UNRWA’s Qalandia Training Center in occupied East Jerusalem, their continued presence there and the unauthorized activities carried out inside the facility,” Dujarric said.
Dujarric said the Qalandia Training Center and other UNRWA buildings are United Nations premises and immune from any form of interference.
He said the actions against UNRWA premises were unacceptable and contrary to international law, including the U.N. Charter and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
Guterres called on the Israeli authorities to immediately cease interference with UNRWA premises, vacate all affected facilities, return them to the United Nations without delay and protect them against further interference or damage, according to Dujarric.
The U.N. chief expressed deep concern that the measures would deprive young people of vocational education, Dujarric said.
He noted that the actions followed other incidents involving UNRWA premises in occupied Jerusalem, including the seizure and demolition of the Sheikh Jarrah compound and the disruption of water and electricity supplies to several agency facilities.
UNRWA: More than 50 security personnel entered center
UNRWA separately condemned the raid in a statement published on its official website Wednesday, saying entry into a U.N. facility without authorization or consent from the United Nations was unacceptable.
The agency said Israeli occupation forces entered the center by force, with at least four armored vehicles and more than 50 Israeli security personnel entering the premises while about 20 UNRWA employees were at the site.
UNRWA said the Qalandia Training Center is a United Nations facility protected by the privileges and immunities granted to the organization under international law and that its inviolability must be fully respected.
The agency warned that attempts to seize or interfere with its facilities or obstruct its work undermine the United Nations’ ability to carry out its mandate.
UNRWA said it would continue efforts to protect its premises, personnel and operations and ensure respect for the privileges and immunities granted to the United Nations under international law.
It called on the international community to take immediate action to protect the Qalandia Training Center and all U.N. facilities in occupied Jerusalem from unauthorized entry or seizure and enable the agency to continue providing essential services to Palestinian refugees without obstruction or interference.
N.J/R.K
