UN and NGOs jointly decry recurrent Israeli incursions into Kalandia Training Centre in occupied East Jerusalem

Statement by the Humanitarian Country Team of the Occupied Palestinian Territory*

We are deeply dismayed by yesterday’s forcible entry of Israeli forces into the United Nations Kalandia Training Centre, where they gathered and confined educational staff and students while conducting operations on the premises.

This is the second incursion by Israeli forces into UNRWA’s oldest vocational training facility in less than a month. It comes amid broader efforts to obstruct the Agency’s operations across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as those of non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The raid breached the inviolability of United Nations (UN) premises and violated Israel’s obligations regarding the privileges and immunities of the UN. UNRWA is an integral part of the UN and of the humanitarian community and operates under a clear mandate from the General Assembly. Such actions impede joint efforts, by UN agencies and NGOs alike, to provide humanitarian assistance and critical services to people in need.

We call on the Israeli authorities to uphold their obligations under international law. Education, humanitarian and development activities must be allowed to continue without disruption, for the benefit of the communities that depend on them.

_{* The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is a strategic decision-making forum led by the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It brings together heads of UN entities and NGOs – both international and Palestinian – all working on humanitarian affairs in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under internationally agreed humanitarian principles.}