Israel seizes UN training centre for Palestinian teens in East Jerusalem
Israeli forces on Tuesday seized the last remaining facility run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the forces raided the Qalandiya Vocational Training Institute in Kafr Aqab, north of Jerusalem, before evacuating the 88-dunam (8.8-hectare) campus.
Around 40 employees were briefly questioned and then ordered to leave and not return, according to Palestinian sources.
The centre had provided free vocational training to hundreds of Palestinian refugee teenagers for more than 70 years.
After the takeover, Israeli forces raised the Israeli flag in the institute's courtyard.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Ben Gvir took to social media to celebrate the takeover.
"I am sitting in what used to be the Unrwa director's office," he said in a video posted online. "On my watch there is no Unrwa, there is no management, they will not be here."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the seizure was carried out on his orders.
Unrwa condemned the raid, saying armed Israeli forces had entered a UN facility without the organisation's authorisation or consent.
"The entry of armed security forces into a United Nations facility, without the authorisation or consent of the United Nations, is unacceptable," the agency said.
"The KTC [Qalandiya Training Centre] is a United Nations facility protected by the privileges and immunities afforded to the Organisation under international law. Its inviolability must be fully respected."
The takeover came as Israeli forces carried out assaults on Palestinians in nearby Qalandiya refugee camp.
Before the raid, Israeli forces fired live ammunition and tear gas at Palestinians in the vicinity of the centre who were protesting against the operation. A Palestinian boy was shot and wounded.
Unrwa targeted
Marouf al-Rifai, an adviser to the governor of the Palestinian Authority's Jerusalem governorate, said the takeover was expected after years of Israeli government incitement against Unrwa.
Israel's parliament passed a law in 2024 banning Unrwa from operating in Israel, following allegations that some agency staff had participated in the 7 October 2023 attack from Gaza.
Israel began enforcing the ban in 2025, including in occupied East Jerusalem, which it annexed in 1980 in a move against international law.
Since then, Israel has shut six Unrwa-run schools and three health centres, as well as the agency's headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.
The Qalandiya Vocational Training Institute was the last remaining Unrwa facility in the city.
Founded in 1952 on land made available by the Jordanian government, the institute was among the first Unrwa buildings established in East Jerusalem.
Located between Kafr Aqab and Qalandiya refugee camp, it provided vocational training to about 340 students each year across 16 specialisations.
"Targeting Unrwa institutions raises concerns that extend beyond the agency itself, as it is a UN agency funded by its member states," al-Rifai told Middle East Eye.
"This is a very dangerous indication that institutions with international and UN immunity are being targeted."
Al-Rifai said Israeli authorities had also targeted other international organisations in Jerusalem. He said that 36 organisations had been closed or had their licences revoked in recent months, with some ordered to move their offices to Ramallah.
According to al-Rifai, Israeli authorities plan to replace some of the organisations with public facilities and schools teaching the Israeli curriculum in Palestinian-majority areas.
"These projects will be built in the heart of a densely populated Palestinian area, as the area surrounding the institute is home to more than 150,000 Palestinians," he said.
The institute's location in Kafr Aqab gives the takeover added significance. The area falls within Jerusalem's Israeli municipal boundaries but is effectively cut off from the city centre by the Qalandiya checkpoint and the separation wall.
Kafr Aqab and surrounding areas are home to a large Palestinian population, many of whom rely on Unrwa for education, healthcare and refugee-related services.
Mohammed Saeed, director of public relations and media for the Popular Committee for Services in Qalandiya camp, described the raid as a show of force against Palestinians.
"The message that the camp's residents want to convey after the raid is their steadfastness on the land, and we call on the international community to take a clearer stance against Israeli actions," he said.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
