Amman, May 7 (Petra) – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Wednesday reiterated it upholds its mandate that was issued by the General Assembly, and said no member state can unilaterally amend or terminate it.

Abeer Ismail, director of UNRWA's Information Office in the West Bank and Jerusalem, said the refugee agency's facilities and staff are protected under the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, according to a statement on the agency's official website.

She said UNRWA schools continue to provide educational services in its six schools in East Jerusalem, despite Israeli threats to shut them.

However, if "we were forced to close, it would set a dangerous precedent that could end the agency's historic presence in East Jerusalem and hinder the continuation of learning, as many children will find themselves without other education alternatives, given overcrowding in other East Jerusalem schools." This would put 800 male and female students at risk of not completing the school year, she warned.

Ismail spoke of unease by students, who fear they will not be able to continue the school year, which runs until the end of June.

The Israeli occupation authority's goal in closing UNRWA schools in Jerusalem is to implement Knesset legislation to terminate UNRWA's presence in Jerusalem, whose enforcement began with an eviction notice to the UNRWA office in Sheikh Jarrah, and now the school closure order, she said.

The United Nations' principled position is that these laws are inherently illegal, and in violation of international law and Israel's obligations as a member of the United Nations, she said.

Ismail called for urgent international intervention to halt ongoing Israeli violations, pressure the occupation government to reverse its settlement projects and Judaization schemes, protect what remains of the national and religious identity of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and support the steadfastness of its Arab inhabitants.

Israeli officials of the Jerusalem Municipality on March 8 served closure orders within 30 days to schools in the Shu'fat refugee camp, Sur Baher, and Wadi al-Joz in Silwan.

The orders followed legislation by the Knesset aimed to undermine the work of UNRWA as a legacy of the occupation.

//Petra//SS

07/05/2025 15:34:22