GENEVA, January 23, 2026 (WAFA) – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned on Friday that Israeli authorities may shut down the Qalandia training center, which could halt the education of hundreds of students.
UNRWA’s Director of Communications, Jonathan Fowler, said during an online press conference as part of the UN Office in Geneva’s weekly briefing that the Qalandia training center provides vocational education to 350 students from the West Bank, teaching skills such as plumbing and vehicle maintenance.
He said the center is threatened with closure because “the land on which it stands is at risk of being seized by Israeli authorities.”
“If the center is forcibly closed, which we fear could happen within days, there is no educational alternative for these students,” Fowler said. “A large group of Palestinian refugees will be deprived of economic opportunities, and the right to education will be threatened. The international community must wake up.”
Fowler also described the Israeli seizure of UNRWA’s headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem and its demolition as “a new level of blatant and deliberate challenge to international law.”
“This is a site that enjoys UN privileges and immunities, and it is shocking that Israeli authorities would raid and demolish this compound,” he said. “This is a shameful act that may have far-reaching global consequences.”
He added that “raiding, demolishing, and seizing a UN compound is unprecedented and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.”
Fowler referred to the International Court of Justice ruling issued in October, stating that “Israel is obligated to facilitate UNRWA operations, not hinder them,” and said that what occurred this week directly contradicts that ruling.
He noted that Israeli authorities claimed ownership of the land on which the UNRWA complex stands, stressing that “the ICJ and the UN General Assembly have repeatedly affirmed that Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem is illegal, and therefore Israel has no sovereign right over this land.”
Fowler warned that this could pave the way for further actions, and expressed strong concern that the next step may be the seizure of UNRWA’s vocational training center in East Jerusalem, which would deprive hundreds of students of their right to education.
M.N
