Israeli protesters set fire to part of UN headquarters in Jerusalem

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said in a post on the X platform that he had decided to close the compound until security was restored.

He said Thursday’s incident was the second in less than a week. “This is an outrageous development. Once again, the lives of UN staff are in serious danger.”

Israeli protesters gather with flags and banners outside the West Bank regional office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Jerusalem on March 20, 2024. Photo: AFP

“It is the responsibility of the State of Israel as a major power to ensure that United Nations personnel and facilities are protected at all times,” he said.

UNRWA, established to assist Palestinian refugees who fled or were forced from their homes in the 1948 war around the time of Israel's founding, has long been a target of Israeli hostility.

Since the start of the war with Gaza, Israeli officials have repeatedly called for the agency to be closed, accusing it of being complicit with the Hamas militant movement in Gaza, an accusation the United Nations has strongly denied.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, including the eastern parts it captured in the 1967 war, which Palestinians see as the future capital of an independent state.

Mr Lazzarini said staff were present at the time of the incident but there were no casualties, adding that a crowd accompanied by armed men outside the compound chanted “Burn down the UN”.

Israeli groups have held regular protests outside the UNRWA compound over the past two months and reported stone pelting of staff and buildings this week, Lazzarini said.

Cao Phong (according to CNA, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nguoi-bieu-tinh-israel-dot-tru-so-co-quan-cua-lien-hop-quoc-o-jerusalem-post295066.html