The United Nations has warned Israel that it could take the dispute over the former UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, after the Israeli government approved plans to build a Defense Ministry complex on the site.
The compound, located in Sheikh Jarrah in east Jerusalem near Ammunition Hill, previously served as the headquarters of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Last week, the government approved a plan to build an IDF museum, a military recruitment office and an office for the defense minister on the site.
Security forces arrive to demolish UNRWA’s Jerusalem headquarters
The decision came after Israel accused UNRWA employees of involvement in Hamas’s October 7 attack and said the agency’s schools in Gaza had been used by the terrorist organization for years. Israel has also said that the terrorist who filmed the abduction of the body of Yonatan Samerano was employed by UNRWA.
Following the government’s May 17 decision, the UN legal office sent Israel another sharply worded letter, calling the move an “escalatory step” and accusing Israel of ignoring demands to reverse actions taken at the compound.
The UN legal office reiterated the organization’s position that the compound “was and remains property of the United Nations” and said any Israeli action at the site violates Israel’s obligations toward the organization under international agreements.
The UN also again warned that it could invoke Article 30 of the relevant convention, a provision that allows legal disputes between the UN and member states to be referred to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
In the letter, the UN escalated its diplomatic and legal language, arguing that the construction of permanent state facilities in east Jerusalem constitutes, in its view, a violation of international law and the laws of occupation.
The organization demanded that Israel take “urgent steps” to ensure respect for UN immunity and refrain from further action against UN property.
The UN also warned that unless Israel changes its policy, the dispute could formally become a legal conflict between Israel and the United Nations, potentially leading to another international proceeding against Israel in The Hague.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected the warning.
“The UN has lost all touch with reality,” Danon said. “While UNRWA became a hotbed of terrorism, the UN is trying to intimidate Israel over the advancement of construction plans in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital. We will not be deterred by legal threats and will exercise our sovereignty in Jerusalem.”