Israeli crews begin bulldozing a UN refugee headquarters in East Jerusalem, and the timing is raising global alarm

Israeli crews began bulldozing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency headquarters in East Jerusalem in a move that escalated Israel’s campaign against the U.N. agency that serves Palestinian refugees. The incident came to light through AP News, which reported that demolition teams moved in early Tuesday morning.

The headquarters targeted is located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, a frequent flashpoint in East Jerusalem. As reported by the outlet, Israeli forces also fired tear gas at a UNRWA vocational school in Qalandia, just outside Jerusalem, later that same day.

Roland Friedrich, UNRWA’s West Bank director, said demolition crews and police arrived at the East Jerusalem compound despite staff having vacated the site nearly a year earlier due to security concerns. He said Israeli forces confiscated equipment and removed private security guards from the property.

This reflects a pattern that is becoming impossible to ignore

I find this development deeply alarming, not as an isolated incident but as part of a sustained pattern of Israeli actions that continue to erode protections for Palestinians and the institutions that serve them. As a journalist, I view the bulldozing of a U.N. refugee headquarters and the use of force at a school as more than enforcement of domestic law, particularly when such measures repeatedly target humanitarian agencies and civilians with little meaningful international consequence, even as other geopolitical developments like the EU chief’s response to economic pressure receive markedly different scrutiny.

I also think the way these actions are framed matters. Too often, that framing minimizes the cumulative harm being done to Palestinians and normalizes behavior that would likely provoke far louder condemnation if it were directed elsewhere.

The vocational school in Qalandia provides training in technology and welding to more than 300 young refugees. AP News reported that children leaving the school were affected by tear gas and that a 15-year-old was struck in the eye by a rubber bullet during the incident.

UNRWA officials warned that the demolition could jeopardize operations at the vocational center and a related health facility in Shu’afat, where education and medical services are still being provided. Friedrich described the events as the culmination of two years of measures taken against the agency in East Jerusalem.

Israeli authorities have long accused UNRWA of anti-Israel bias, alleging the agency has been infiltrated by Hamas and that some employees were involved in the October 2023 attack that preceded the war in Gaza. Israeli leaders said the demolition was carried out under a new law banning UNRWA from operating in areas defined as Israeli territory, including East Jerusalem, and maintained that Israel owns the site.

An Israeli flag was raised over the Sheikh Jarrah compound following the demolition, and several Israeli politicians appeared at the location. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called the day historic, while UNRWA officials rejected that characterization.

International reaction followed quickly. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the demolition and called for the compound to be returned to U.N. control, with his spokesperson saying the actions were inconsistent with Israel’s obligations under international law, even as other global political flashpoints, such as the situation where the Kremlin reported Trump’s invitation to Putin and an unexpected answer drew widespread international attention.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that actions taken against the agency could set a precedent for similar measures against other international organizations. The move comes as Israel has informed dozens of aid groups, including Doctors Without Borders and CARE, that their licenses will expire at the end of 2025 under new regulations governing nongovernmental organizations.

Israeli military statistics cited by AP News showed attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians and Israeli security forces in the West Bank increased by 27% compared with 2024, with 867 incidents recorded and severe cases rising by more than 50%.