Rizky Amelia
Israeli security forces raided and shut down the Qalandia Training Centre on Tuesday, closing the last remaining outpost of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) in occupied East Jerusalem. The operation drew swift condemnation from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, whose spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, stressed that all UN premises "are inviolable and immune from any form of interference" under international law. Guterres said he was deeply alarmed that the closure would strip young Palestinians of vocational education they depended on.
The raid had a distinctly political flavour. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir took part in person, bringing along a camera crew from the pro-government Channel 14 and filming himself seated at the institute director's desk. "Thank God, on my shift there is no Unrwa, there is no management, they will not be here," he declared in the video. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly claimed credit, saying he had personally directed the evacuation of what he called an illegal compound.
Founded in 1952, the centre taught trades such as carpentry, plumbing and car mechanics to roughly 340 Palestinians annually. Though formally located in East Jerusalem, it sits between the Qalandia and Kfar Aqab neighbourhoods behind Israel's separation barrier, making it reachable for students from refugee camps throughout the West Bank rather than just Jerusalem residents. Staff were ejected during the takeover, and Israeli officials say equipment is being cleared out, with part of the campus slated to become a school.
Unrwa denounced what it described as an unauthorised incursion, saying the entry of armed forces into a UN installation without the organisation's consent was unacceptable. The agency delivers schooling, medical care and other services to more than 900,000 registered refugees across the West Bank. Last year, Israel issued closure orders against six of its schools in East Jerusalem, ending classroom instruction for around 800 children.
Tuesday's action follows Israeli legislation that took effect last year prohibiting Unrwa from functioning anywhere Israel considers its own territory — a category that includes East Jerusalem, captured in the 1967 war and annexed in a move rejected by most of the world. The laws also bar Israeli state bodies from any contact with the agency. Moves against Unrwa enjoy wide public support inside Israel.
Netanyahu justified the seizure by accusing the agency of complicity in the Hamas-led assault of 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw 251 hostages taken. Israeli intelligence has alleged that at least 19 Unrwa staff participated in the attack. A UN inquiry concluded that evidence pointed to possible involvement by nine employees, whose contracts were terminated, while finding insufficient or no support for the remaining claims. Israel has also asserted that a tenth of Unrwa's Gaza workforce maintained ties with armed groups; the agency says Jerusalem has never shared supporting evidence.
The Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry urged governments worldwide to act "immediately and effectively" to safeguard the college, restore its personnel and stop Israel from entrenching what it called a fait accompli. Established after 1948 to aid Palestinians displaced during the creation of the Jewish state, Unrwa has long been viewed by many Palestinians as a guardian of their demand to return to historic homes — a core sticking point in the wider conflict that critics say Israel's campaign against the agency is designed to erase.
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