Israeli authorities order closure of Jerusalem’s UNRWA schools
A Palestinian boy stands outside the gate of the Kalandia vocational training centre (KTC), run by UNRWA, which was raided by Israeli forces on 18 February 2025
Mera Aladam reports in Middle East Eye on April 2025:
Israeli authorities have ordered the closure of several schools run by the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) in Jerusalem, marking the latest move in a series of targeted restrictions against the agency.
UNRWA’s commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, said on Tuesday that Israeli officials and security forces raided six UNRWA schools in occupied East Jerusalem, issuing closure orders to take effect within 30 days.
“UNRWA schools are protected by the privileges and immunities of the United Nations. Today’s unauthorised entries and issuance of closure orders are a violation of these protections + represent a revocation of Israel’s obligations under international law,” Lazzarini wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“UNRWA is committed to stay and deliver education and other basic services to Palestine Refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in accordance with the General Assembly resolution mandated to the Agency.”
The UN agency provides services to over 110,000 refugees in Jerusalem, with significant operations in the Shuafat and Qalandiya refugee camps. According to the Palestinian news agency Arab48, four of the targeted schools are located in the Shuafat refugee camp, one of the few camps within the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem.
UNRWA has for decades run schools and medical clinics in East Jerusalem, which Israel seized in the 1967 war. Israeli forces raided the schools, checked the identities of staff and issued fines to vehicles on the property, according to local sources.
The closure of the six schools will directly affect around 800 children, who may be unable to complete their school year. “If we are forced to close, the consequences will be dire as the children will be deprived of their basic right to education, which will exacerbate their suffering and negatively affect their future,” said Abir Ismail, director of UNRWA’s information office.