Belgium, France, Germany and 12 other diplomatic representations have condemned what they described as an unlawful entry into a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) facility in East Jerusalem and called on Israel to stop disrupting the agency’s work, according to a joint local statement.
The group — Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom — said it was “reiterat[ing]” its support for UNRWA, which provides assistance and services to Palestinian refugees, in a statement published by the EU Representative’s office in Jerusalem, and cited by the European External Action Service (EEAS).
It said UNRWA’s Kalandia Training Centre was entered and its installations in East Jerusalem were seized on 25 August, calling the actions unlawful.
Call for compliance with UN protections
United Nations premises are protected under international law by the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and “must be respected”, the statement said.
The diplomatic representations called for “immediate and full compliance” with UN obligations that allow UNRWA to carry out its mandated activities “without interference.”
They also called on the State of Israel to “honour its obligations” and to halt “all disruptions” to UNRWA’s activities and operations “without delay.”
