In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the assault carried out by the police against schools of that institution, located in the occupied zone of East Jerusalem, which it considered a violation of the immunity and privileges enjoyed by UN agencies.

The closure of these centers will deprive hundreds of students of their right to education, the Ministry warned, and stressed that this is a serious attack against international law and the resolutions of the UN Security Council, according to which East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian territory.

The Ministry also condemned the continued aggression against cities and refugee camps in the West Bank.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned this week that the agency could collapse due to two recent Knesset laws banning its work and cutting off funding. Closing the agency would create a dangerous vacuum in the provision of basic services to millions of Palestinians, creating “fertile ground for exploitation and extremism,” he said.

Lazzarini said that following the passage of the two laws, the agency was forced to close its headquarters in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah and evacuate its foreign employees. There is no alternative that can provide public services to Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories, he highlighted.

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