Widespread European condemnation of the occupation's storming of UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem

Diplomatic missions of the European Union in Jerusalem and Ramallah issued a joint statement strongly condemning the storming of the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem by the occupation forces, describing it as a flagrant violation of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

The statement, in which countries such as France, Germany, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain participated, clarified that the raid included the seizure of the agency's property, the cutting of communications, and the replacement of the United Nations flag with the Israeli flag.

The European missions affirmed that these measures represent a dangerous precedent and a complete disregard for international law, including the Geneva Conventions, which grant legal protection to organizations that perform vital tasks in accordance with international humanitarian law.

The statement called on Israel to fulfill its obligations under the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which guarantees the inviolability of United Nations headquarters and non-violation thereof.

This statement comes days after the occupation forces stormed the main headquarters of UNRWA in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, where they suddenly surrounded the UN building before storming the courtyards of the headquarters and its internal offices.

Eyewitnesses reported that the occupation forces, immediately upon entering, began conducting thorough and extensive searches inside the building's corridors, without respect for the diplomatic immunity enjoyed by United Nations institutions.