Israel Evicts UNRWA Training Centre in East Jerusalem Amid West Bank Tensions

Israeli forces have begun evicting a vocational training centre operated by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, in an East Jerusalem suburb. The facility, located in Kafr Aqab, has provided training to approximately 340 Palestinians annually since 1952. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel will not tolerate an organization whose employees were involved in the Hamas massacre. The Israeli government intends to use the site for a boys school following an Israeli curriculum, as well as other community facilities. UN Secretary General António Guterres called the measures completely inacceptable and contrary to international law.

While center right framing emphasizes the legal basis for the eviction and the planned community improvements, center left framing highlights the move as part of a broader pattern of targeting the beleaguered organization. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir celebrated the operation on Telegram, stating that UNRWA is now in Israeli hands.

In a separate incident in the occupied West Bank, far right Israeli lawmaker Zvi Sukkot used a sledgehammer to destroy a Palestinian memorial in the village of Madama. Footage showed Sukkot performing the act while under military escort. The Israeli military stated that Sukkot acted deceptively and without authorization, departing from the approved framework of a security tour. Prime Minister Netanyahu described the act of taking the law into one's own hands as a reprehensible practice. Additionally, reports indicate that Israeli settlers attacked journalists and activists near Bethlehem, resulting in at least five injuries.