Special rapporteur Albanese urges UN to suspend Israel after UNRWA HQ demolition
The United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories condemned Israel for demolishing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in occupied East al-Quds and demanded the regime’s suspension from the UN.
In a statement released on Friday on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) website, Francesca Albanese described the demolition as a “systematic assault” on both the UN system and the Palestinian people.
“I am horrified by the continued destruction carried out by Israel without any restraint, as the United Nations and international law are dismantled brick by brick before the world’s eyes … Attacking UNRWA represents the crushing of international community efforts to preserve Palestinian lives,” she said.
On Tuesday, Israeli armed forces invaded the UNRWA compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, confiscated equipment from staff, and forcibly expelled employees before demolishing buildings within the premises.
The demolition was overseen on site by Israeli hawkish minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who continued spreading false claims about UNRWA.
Furthermore, Israeli official Fleur Hassan-Nahoum publicly called for the killing and elimination of UNRWA staff in front of the agency’s building.
Albanese warned that this rhetoric and the demolition itself demonstrate the dangerous normalization of calls for genocide in occupied Palestine. She called the development deeply alarming.
Highlighting the gravity of the incident, Albanese noted that an attack by a UN member on an organization mandated by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) sets a “dangerous and unprecedented precedent” that demands immediate international action.
She pointed to the International Court of Justice’s ( ICJ) provisional measures and its ruling affirming that Israel has no right to interfere with UNRWA’s work.
She described the demolition as a serious violation of the United Nations’ privileges and immunities and an international crime, adding to Israel’s long history of violations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Albanese urged the United Nations Secretary-General to convene an emergency session to address these attacks and push for concrete measures.
She specifically demanded Israel’s suspension under Article 6 of the United Nations Charter and sanctions, particularly targeting arms sales to the regime.
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