UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel’s amended law to halt UNRWA operations and the seizure of the agency’s Sheikh Jarrah compound violate Israel’s international obligations and could trigger a legal dispute at The Hague.
Guterres, in a letter submitted January 8, expressed “grave concerns” over amendments adopted by the Knesset on December 29 that prohibit the provision of basic utilities and services to UNRWA, including “power and water services” and “telecommunications and banking services.” He said he “deplore[s] the revocation of national laws giving effect to the privileges and immunities of UNRWA,” as well as authorization for authorities to take possession of UN land.
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses a media conference on the eve of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, November. Credit: Themba Hadebe/AP
UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses a media conference on the eve of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, November. Credit: Themba Hadebe/AP
Guterres added that UNRWA, created by the General Assembly, is “an integral part of the United Nations,” and that Israel remains bound by the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the UN. Under that convention, UN property and assets are “inviolable.”
The secretary-general also condemned Israel’s December 8 entry into the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound in occupied East Jerusalem, saying authorities seized assets, removed the UN flag and raised an Israeli flag instead, calling the actions “violations of the inviolability of those premises.” Claims over unpaid municipal taxes do not apply, he added, because the UN is exempt.
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An Israel police vehicle at the entrance to the UNRWA headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah during the raid, December. Credit: Silvanik
An Israel police vehicle at the entrance to the UNRWA headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah during the raid, December. Credit: Silvanik
Citing a recent advisory opinion from the ICJ, Guterres said allegations against the UN “must be addressed within the existing legal framework” and do not justify unilateral action. The measures, he warned, “must be reversed without delay.”
He called on Israel to repeal the legislation, restore seized property and halt further actions against UNRWA. Guterres warned that failure to comply could create a legal dispute under the UN convention, and said he will update the General Assembly and the Security Council.