UNRWA Denies Israeli Ownership of Its Building in Elkods

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) denied that Israel owns the building housing its headquarters in Elkods .

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated on Wednesday that, contrary to media reports, the Israeli government neither owns nor has any rights to the property housing the UNRWA compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Elkods .

Lazzarini emphasized that the Israeli government's claims are baseless and illegal, as ownership of the property has never been transferred.

He explained that UNRWA has been leasing the land from the Jordanian government since 1952, and that its seizure is a blatant violation of international law.

He added that the International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly have ruled that the Israeli presence in East Jerusalem is illegal and must end as soon as possible. He pointed out that Israel has no sovereign rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, and that the application of its laws there is illegal.

UNRWA stressed that the demolition of buildings at the agency’s headquarters in East Jerusalem constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, noting that the agency’s compound is considered a UN facility that enjoys legal immunity that prevents it from being harmed or violated.