Global & US Headlines
Israel Begins Demolition of UNRWA’s Sheikh Jarrah HQ After 2024 Ban
Before dawn on 20–21 Jan 2026, Israeli police and Land Authority crews seized and started bulldozing UNRWA’s East Jerusalem headquarters, enforcing a 2024 Knesset law that outlawed the U.N. refugee agency inside territory Israel claims.
Focusing Facts
- Bulldozers entered the Sheikh Jarrah compound at daybreak 20 Jan 2026, removed private guards, hoisted an Israeli flag and razed office and warehouse structures dating to the 1950s.
- The Knesset’s October 2024 ‘Anti-UNRWA Act’ barred the agency, and December 2025 amendments cut utilities and authorized repossession of UNRWA land in East Jerusalem.
- An ICJ advisory opinion of 22 Oct 2025 urged Israel to protect UN bodies in occupied territory, but National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the demolition “a historic day.”
Context
This moment echoes Egypt’s May 1967 expulsion of the UN Emergency Force—another instance where a host power physically removed a UN presence ahead of a wider conflict. Israel’s action fits a longer arc: since the 1980 Jerusalem annexation, successive governments have sought to normalise Israeli law in East Jerusalem while delegitimising external mediators; the 2024–26 legislation systematises that campaign. Globally it reflects a century-long erosion of post-1945 multilateralism, as mid-tier states increasingly treat UN agencies as negotiable, not sacrosanct. Whether the demolition shifts facts on the ground or merely codifies them, it matters because UNRWA is one of the few remnants of the 1949 refugee system; crippling it could, over decades, force a re-definition of Palestinian refugee status and test the durability of the UN’s privilege-and-immunity regime—cornerstones of the current international order.
Perspectives
Israeli government officials and supportive outlets
Israeli government officials and supportive outlets — Frame the demolition as a lawful enforcement action on property Israel says it owns while portraying UNRWA as infiltrated by Hamas and a threat to Israeli security. Downplays the lack of publicly presented evidence for Hamas ties and minimizes humanitarian consequences, reflecting the government’s political interest in delegitimising UNRWA.
UN leadership and UNRWA representatives
UN leadership and UNRWA representatives — Condemn the demolition as an unlawful seizure of UN premises in occupied East Jerusalem and insist Israel has no sovereignty there under international law. Under-acknowledges long-standing Israeli allegations of militant infiltration, emphasising the agency’s humanitarian role to protect funding and legitimacy.
Muslim-majority governments (Indonesia, Malaysia) and aligned regional media
Muslim-majority governments (Indonesia, Malaysia) and aligned regional media — Denounce the demolition as a grave violation of UN privileges and international humanitarian law, urging global accountability for Israel’s actions. Political solidarity with the Palestinian cause may lead to categorical condemnation of Israel while overlooking Israeli legal or security arguments.