{"id":667191,"date":"2026-08-26T00:03:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T04:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/?p=667191"},"modified":"2026-08-26T17:43:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T21:43:49","slug":"un-commissioner-strongly-condemns-israels-occupation-of-unrwas-vocational-training-center-in-east-jerusalem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/667191\/","title":{"rendered":"UN Commissioner strongly condemns Israel&#8217;s occupation of UNRWA&#8217;s vocational training center in East Jerusalem"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"prose prose-slate dark:prose-invert max-w-none\n          prose-headings:font-black prose-headings:tracking-tight\n          prose-a:text-cyan-600 dark:prose-a:text-cyan-400\n          prose-code:font-mono prose-code:text-sm prose-code:bg-slate-100 dark:prose-code:bg-slate-800 prose-code:px-1 prose-code:py-0.5 prose-code:rounded\n          prose-pre:bg-slate-900 prose-pre:text-slate-100 prose-pre:rounded-xl prose-pre:p-0 zp-seam-bottom\"><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-667192\" src=\"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/israel-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" \/>Christian Saunders,\u00a0Acting Commissioner-General of\u00a0the United Nations Relief and Works Agency\u00a0<\/span><span dir=\"auto\">(UNRWA)<\/span><span dir=\"auto\"> , has strongly condemned the Israeli occupation of the agency&#8217;s Qalandiya Vocational Training Center in East Jerusalem, calling the action a systematic attempt to undermine the agency and harm Palestinian rights.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"prose prose-slate dark:prose-invert max-w-none\n          prose-headings:font-black prose-headings:tracking-tight\n          prose-a:text-cyan-600 dark:prose-a:text-cyan-400\n          prose-code:font-mono prose-code:text-sm prose-code:bg-slate-100 dark:prose-code:bg-slate-800 prose-code:px-1 prose-code:py-0.5 prose-code:rounded\n          prose-pre:bg-slate-900 prose-pre:text-slate-100 prose-pre:rounded-xl prose-pre:p-0 zp-seam-top zp-seam-bottom\"><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The seizure occurred on Tuesday,\u00a0<\/span><span dir=\"auto\">August 25, 2026<\/span><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0, when Israeli forces raided this key UNRWA facility in the Kafr Aqab area. The forces expelled all staff and completely barred their return. Following this, the Israeli flag was raised in the compound&#8217;s courtyard. By Wednesday,\u00a0<\/span><strong><span dir=\"auto\">August 26, 2026,<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Israel had further strengthened its presence there, and technical teams from the Jerusalem Municipality began maintenance and renovation work, indicating plans to establish a municipal educational campus there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Israeli National Security Minister\u00a0<\/span><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Itamar Ben-Gvir,<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0who was involved in the operation , declared on social media that the agency has no place in Jerusalem or Israel. Prime Minister\u00a0<\/span><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Benjamin Netanyahu<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0confirmed that the operation was carried out under his orders. He cited a 2024 parliamentary law that bans UNRWA operations in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem. The government justified the move by alleging the agency&#8217;s employees were involved in the\u00a0<\/span><strong><span dir=\"auto\">October 7<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0, 2023, attack, although independent investigations have found no concrete evidence to support these claims.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">UN spokesman\u00a0<\/span><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Stephane Dujarric<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0said this was the fifth case of unauthorized entry by Israeli authorities into the facility since May 2026. He also cited other violations, including the seizure and demolition of the Sheikh Jarrah compound and the cutting off of utility services, such as electricity and water, to other UNRWA facilities. UN Secretary-General\u00a0<\/span><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Antonio Guterres<\/span><\/strong><span dir=\"auto\">\u00a0expressed deep concern over the incursion and reiterated that UN premises are protected and free from any interference under international law. The Palestinian Presidency and Foreign Ministry have called for immediate intervention by the UN Security Council, calling the evacuation a blatant violation of international standards regarding Palestinian presence and rights.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christian Saunders,\u00a0Acting Commissioner-General of\u00a0the United Nations Relief and Works Agency\u00a0(UNRWA) , has strongly condemned the Israeli occupation of the agency&#8217;s Qalandiya Vocational Training Center in East Jerusalem, calling the action a systematic attempt to undermine the agency and harm Palestinian rights. The seizure occurred on Tuesday,\u00a0August 25, 2026\u00a0, when Israeli forces raided this key UNRWA facility in the Kafr Aqab area. The forces expelled all staff and completely barred their return. Following this, the Israeli flag was raised in the compound&#8217;s courtyard. By Wednesday,\u00a0August 26, 2026,\u00a0Israel had further strengthened its&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":667192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47748],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-667191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=667191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":667193,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667191\/revisions\/667193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/667192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=667191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=667191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malayalamdailynews.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=667191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}