East Jerusalem Headquarters Demolished: A Fierce Clash of Law, Politics, and Humanitarian Concerns.
22/01/2026
On the morning of January 20, 2026, around 7 a.m., the tranquility of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem was shattered by the roar of heavy machinery. Under the protection of Israeli security forces, bulldozers entered the headquarters compound of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and began demolishing the buildings within the premises. Israel's far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, personally visited the scene, calling it a historic day and a significant moment for Jerusalem's sovereignty. Meanwhile, UNRWA's Director-General, Philippe Lazzarini, angrily condemned the action on social media, describing it as an unprecedented attack on a United Nations agency and its premises, and a new height of Israel's open and deliberate contempt for international law, including the privileges and immunities of the United Nations.
This is not an isolated incident of forced demolition. It represents the culmination of years of legislative encirclement, diplomatic maneuvering, and media warfare. Moreover, it is a fierce collision between Israel and the United Nations over the core narrative of the Palestinian issue. When the bulldozer's bucket fell, it stirred up not only dust but also a series of fundamental questions regarding the effectiveness of international law, humanitarian neutrality, refugee rights, and sovereignty claims.
Timeline of Events: From Legislative Ban to Physical Removal
This demolition operation has a clear legal and political trajectory. Analysis indicates that Israel's systematic suppression of UNRWA escalated sharply following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and rapidly transformed into domestic legislative action.
In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed two key laws prohibiting UNRWA from operating within Israeli territory, including East Jerusalem, which Israel unilaterally claims sovereignty over, and banning Israeli officials from cooperating with the agency. This provided the domestic legal basis for subsequent actions. By December 2025, the Knesset further amended the laws, authorizing the cutting off of water and electricity supplies to UNRWA facilities and allowing the state to reclaim land occupied by the agency in East Jerusalem. Once the legal framework was established, administrative actions followed. In early 2025, as the ban took effect, UNRWA international staff were forced to leave their headquarters in East Jerusalem, and their visas were invalidated. In December of the same year, Israeli forces raided the compound, raised the Israeli flag, and seized assets allegedly related to municipal tax disputes—a claim that the United Nations firmly denied, insisting that the property enjoys inviolable immunity.
Therefore, the demolition on January 20, 2026, marks the logical endpoint of this series of steps. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized in its statement that this action is not a new policy but rather the implementation of existing legislation concerning UNRWA-Hamas. The Israel Land Authority declared that it has fully obtained possession of the property and has begun clearing the site. From legislative prohibition and administrative expulsion to physical removal, Israel has executed a comprehensive set of measures aimed at completely expelling UNRWA from East Jerusalem.
Core Controversy: The Rashomon of Law, Sovereignty, and Accusations
The incident triggered intense international reactions, rooted in irreconcilable differences between the two sides on a series of fundamental issues.
First is the conflict between law and sovereignty status. UNRWA and its supporters, including UN Secretary-General Guterres, cite international laws such as the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, emphasizing that UN premises are inviolable and enjoy immunity from search, requisition, confiscation, expropriation, and any other form of interference. Guterres condemned Israel's actions as completely unacceptable and demanded an immediate halt to the demolition and the return of the property. However, Israel entirely rejects this legal interpretation. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims: the compound enjoys no immunity, and the Israeli authorities' seizure of this compound complies with both Israeli and international law. The cornerstone of this position is Israel's sovereignty claim over East Jerusalem. Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 war and annexed it by law in 1980, declaring all of Jerusalem as its eternal capital. Although the vast majority of the international community, including Germany, views East Jerusalem as occupied territory, Israel, at the level of its domestic law, already considers this area its sovereign territory. Therefore, from Israel's perspective, its ban on UNRWA and its law enforcement actions are exercises of sovereignty within its own territory, not violations of international law in occupied territory. This direct clash between its sovereignty claim and the international community's consensus is the core of the dispute.
Secondly, there is a fundamentally different assessment of the nature of UNRWA. Israeli officials and right-wing political figures directly refer to UNRWA as UNRWA-Hamas, accusing it of no longer being a humanitarian organization but rather a breeding ground for terrorism. The allegations primarily focus on three points: first, some staff members are suspected of direct involvement in the October 7, 2023 attack; second, the agency's infrastructure in the Gaza Strip (including the discovery of a Hamas underground data center beneath its headquarters) has been utilized by militants; and third, its educational content incites hatred toward Israel and glorifies terrorism. Israel uses this to justify its actions, claiming that expelling an organization that supports terrorism is both legal and necessary.
UNRWA firmly denies these systematic allegations. The agency acknowledges that after the October 7 incident, it dismissed a small number of staff based on information provided by Israel, but emphasizes that Israel has not provided evidence for all the accusations. In 2025, the International Court of Justice, the UN's highest court, stated in an advisory opinion that Israel failed to substantiate that a large number of UNRWA employees were members of Palestinian armed groups, and that concluding UNRWA as a whole is not neutral based on the possible involvement of a few staff members is insufficiently grounded. The court also ruled that Israel must allow UNRWA to provide humanitarian assistance in Gaza. UNRWA stresses that it operates hundreds of schools, clinics, and relief services in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, and other areas, serving as a humanitarian lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees. Lazzarini warned that the attacks on UNRWA are a wake-up call; what is happening to UNRWA today could happen to any other international organization or diplomatic mission tomorrow.
Furthermore, there are the direct humanitarian consequences resulting from the actions. The demolition operations were not isolated incidents. On the same day, Israeli forces also fired tear gas at the Karandia Vocational Training School on the outskirts of East Jerusalem. The school provides technical and welding training to over 300 young refugees. Some children on their way home from school were affected by the tear gas, and a 15-year-old boy was hit in the eye by a rubber bullet. UNRWA warned that the demolition operations could endanger the operations of the Karandia Vocational Center and the Shu'afat medical facility, which continue to provide education and health services. These actions highlight the real risks to the basic services and livelihoods of ordinary Palestinian refugees, underlying the political and legal struggles.
Deep-Seated Motivations: Strategic Game Beyond Security Concerns
The demolition of the UNRWA headquarters is far from a simple law enforcement or security operation. It is deeply rooted in the long-held political ideologies and strategic objectives of the Israeli right-wing, particularly the far-right forces within the current ruling coalition.
The primary objective is to deconstruct the Palestinian refugee issue. UNRWA was established in 1949, initially providing aid to approximately 700,000 Palestinian refugees who fled or were forced to leave their homes during the 1948 war. Its unique feature is that refugee status can be passed down through generations, and today its registered refugee population has reached about 5.9 million and continues to grow. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and others have repeatedly called for the abolition of UNRWA, arguing precisely that the agency perpetuates the Palestinian refugee issue by sustaining the concept of the right of return, which aims to destroy the State of Israel. From Israel's perspective, the very existence of UNRWA is a core pillar of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict narrative, symbolizing the unresolved refugee issue and the Palestinian claim to the right of return. Demolishing its symbolic headquarters is a radical move to weaken this narrative and attempt to redefine the refugee issue.
Secondly, it is part of the ongoing efforts to Judaize East Jerusalem and strengthen sovereignty. Minister Ben-Gvir's statement on-site about restoring governance in Jerusalem highlights the geopolitical dimension of the action. Raising the Israeli flag in East Jerusalem and demolishing institutional buildings perceived as symbols of Palestinian nationalism or international interference aim to physically and symbolically reinforce Israel's exclusive control over the city, challenging the international consensus that views it as occupied territory or the future capital of a Palestinian state. This reflects the long-standing strategy of creating facts on the ground pursued by the Israeli right-wing.
Third, this also reflects the current Israeli government's domestic political agenda. Far-right political parties need to demonstrate a tough stance and a defense of sovereignty to their voters. Attacking UNRWA can both cater to domestic anger over the October 7 incident and showcase a determination to resist international pressure, offering significant domestic political gains. Political figures like Ben-Gvir personally celebrating at the demolition site is, in itself, a political spectacle.
Finally, this may be a prelude to broader restrictions on the operational space for international non-governmental organizations. In addition to UNRWA, Israel is also promoting strict legislation targeting other NGOs operating in the occupied Palestinian territories. This legislation requires them not to employ staff who delegitimize Israel or support the boycott movement, and uses a registration list as a condition for operation. Dozens of groups, including Médecins Sans Frontières and CARE International, have been informed that their licenses will expire by the end of 2025. These organizations warn that the new regulations will harm populations in urgent need of assistance. Lazzarini's warning—what is happening to UNRWA today could happen to any other international organization tomorrow—is not alarmist. It points to the Israeli government's potential tendency to reshape the entire landscape of international aid and oversight in the occupied territories.
International Reactions and Future Directions: Crisis and Choice
The international community responded swiftly and sternly to the demolition incident. UN Secretary-General Guterres strongly condemned the action and has sent a letter to Netanyahu, warning that if Israel does not revoke the relevant legislation, it may be brought before the International Court of Justice. The Palestinian Authority condemned it as a severe violation of all rules and norms of international law. Many countries, despite relying on UNRWA to provide critical aid in places like Gaza, face complex diplomatic positions in their statements.
However, the actual constraining capacity of the international community is being tested. Although the International Court of Justice has issued relevant opinions, the enforcement mechanisms remain weak. The stance of key countries such as the United States is crucial, but their internal politics and level of support for Israel will influence the extent of their pressure. At present, it appears that the Israeli government has calculated the cost of international reactions and is determined to advance its agenda.
Several possible future scenarios may emerge: First, the conflict could escalate further, with the United Nations potentially initiating more legal and political procedures, though it would be difficult to immediately halt Israel's similar actions. Second, UNRWA's physical presence in East Jerusalem could be completely eliminated, while its operations in the West Bank and Gaza struggle to persist in some form under immense pressure, potentially exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. Third, this incident may prompt the international community to re-evaluate and reform the aid architecture for Palestinian refugees, though this would require lengthy and contentious negotiations. Regardless, the Israeli flag flying over East Jerusalem and the rubble of UNRWA's buildings have become a stark new symbol in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, foreshadowing an even more challenging path toward resolution.
This demolition operation is, in essence, a fierce struggle over narrative, sovereignty, and the right to survival. Israel seeks to unilaterally rewrite the legal status and humanitarian landscape of East Jerusalem through domestic legislation and military actions, and to deconstruct the international framework concerning the Palestinian refugee issue. Meanwhile, the United Nations and the international legal system strive to defend the immunity of their institutions, the neutrality of humanitarian work, and the consensus-based international order. Amidst the dust of bulldozers, what is damaged is not merely concrete structures but also the already fragile foundations of international norms and dialogue. When humanitarian aid becomes deeply politicized and legal interpretations reach a deadlock of conflicting narratives, the ultimate price will be borne by ordinary Palestinian refugees who rely on schools, clinics, and food aid. Their fate, in this high-stakes political game, appears increasingly uncertain and vulnerable.
Reference materials
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/israel-unrwa-hauptquartier-100.html
https://www.ft.com/content/c36a11cf-2e69-46c3-9fab-f1bdace2aa39
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-883911
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/20/middleeast/israel-demolish-unrwa-east-jerusalem-latam-intl
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ab39e8a389f4797805034c26ac3d43a6d9af769a