RAMALLAH, May 17, 2026 (WAFA) – The Department of Refugee Affairs of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) condemned the Israeli occupation authorities’ approval of a new colonial plan to establish a museum for the Israeli army, a recruitment office, and a headquarters for the so-called Israeli Ministry of Security on the ruins of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied Jerusalem.
In a press statement issued Sunday, Member of the PLO Executive Committee and the Head of the PLO's Department of Refugee Affairs, Ahmad Abu Holi, described the move as a dangerous escalation and a violation of Israel’s obligations as the occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention, particularly concerning the protection of international humanitarian organizations and ensuring their work is carried out without obstruction.
He added that the move also violates the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, the principles of the UN Charter, and relevant international resolutions, stressing that this colonial expansionist measure constitutes a dangerous precedent and a blatant challenge to the entire international system.
Abu Holi stressed that the agency’s headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah remain the exclusive property of the United Nations and are protected under UN diplomatic privileges and immunities, which are permanent and absolute and cannot be revoked under any pretext.
He affirmed that Israel has no legal or sovereign authority to close the compound or alter its existing status, describing the plan as invalid colonial piracy and categorically rejected.
He explained that this colonial scheme represents a practical, on-the-ground implementation of invalid racist legislation enacted by the occupation authorities.
He pointed out that the Israeli Knesset passed a law in October 2024 banning UNRWA’s operations and prohibiting contact with the agency, followed by another law at the end of December 2025 cutting electricity and water services to properties used by the agency.
Abu Holi added that the continued assault on the UNRWA compound constitutes a blatant challenge to the international legal and judicial system, particularly the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on October 22, 2025, which the UN General Assembly formally adopted under Resolution 80/116. He said the court clearly affirmed the need to protect UNRWA’s mandate and institutions and obligated Israel to fully cooperate with the agency, refrain from obstructing its activities, and protect its premises.
He said that the occupation’s ongoing attempts to enforce its invalid legislation reflect a blatant disregard for international legitimacy and UN Security Council resolutions on the protection of humanitarian organizations, as well as a direct violation of Security Council resolutions 2728 and 2735 issued in 2024, which stress the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid and the protection of UN premises and personnel operating in the field.
Abu Holi warned that the real objective behind these successive plans is not merely the seizure of land and property, but a systematic Israeli attempt to erase the Palestinian refugee issue, end UNRWA’s mandate, and eliminate the UN and humanitarian presence in the occupied capital to impose a new demographic and geographic reality.
He stressed that protecting UNRWA and preserving its legal mandate and UN authorization are international and collective responsibilities that fall upon the member states of the UN General Assembly.
He called on the international community and the UN Security Council to take tangible deterrent measures to halt this colonial piracy, protect UN institutions, and move immediately toward effective procedural steps to deter Israel’s systematic disregard for international humanitarian law and hold the occupation accountable for its ongoing violations of international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions, particularly Security Council Resolution 2334.
T.R.
