Israel has continuously lobbied for the closure of the refugee agency’s headquarters, which would result in the deprivation of million of Palestinians from aid.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has denounced Israel’s takeover of the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem.

In a statement, MoFA warned that the continuation of Israel’s systematic targeting campaign against the agency “aims to dismantle it and deprive millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria of its essential services”.

“Israeli occupation’s efforts to dismantle UNRWA are a link in a chain of reprehensible targeting of the United Nations itself, including workers in its various organisations, affirming in this context that this dangerous situation places the international community before a true test, which requires immediate action to confront it firmly,” the ministry added.

Qatar’s statement is an extension of Qatar’s policy in condemning Israel’s ongoing practices against Palestinians, according to Marwan Kabalan, the director of the Political Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.

“This is a continuation of the long-time approach within Qatar’s foreign policy, which was more entrenched during the Israeli aggression on Gaza,” he said to Doha News.

Kabalan said that over the past year, it has become evident that the ability of any party to influence Israel’s policies is limited.

“I think Qatar or other countries might not have enough pressure tools to change Israel’s ongoing policies in this regard,” he said.

On Thursday, Israeli daily Israel Hayom confirmed that the Israel Land Authority (ILA) announced plans to seize the land housing the UNRWA’s headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood so it could build 1,440 illegal settlement units on the site.

An Israeli parliament (Knesset) committee approved two bills aimed at ceasing the agency’s activity and end all contact between Israel and UNRWA.

The European Union (EU) released a statement expressing its grave concern about the Israeli draft legislation.

“The EU strongly supports the UN Secretary General’s call on the matter and shares the concern that this draft bill, if adopted, would have disastrous consequences, preventing the UN Agency from continuing to provide its services and protection to Palestine refugees in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza,” the EU said.

Israel’s war against UNRWA

Last July, the Knesset gave preliminary approval to a bill designating UNRWA as a “terrorist organisation”.

The Israeli occupation has long lobbied for the closure of UNRWA, with calls to end the agency’s activities intensifying since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7 last year.

Israel has accused many UNRWA staff on the ground of being affiliated with Palestinian resistance group Hamas, prompting several nations to withdraw their financial support from the agency.

However, a report by the United Nations found insufficient evidence to Israel’s claims, leading many countries reinstated their UNRWA financing.

In May, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini temporarily closed the headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem after Israeli settlers set fire to the compound’s perimeter twice and caused extensive damage to the outdoor areas.

In March, Israeli settlers morning vandalised the East Jerusalem headquarters, placing posters on the main entrance.

A month prior, several Israeli settlers protested outside of the UNRWA headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah calling for the closure of the agency, chanting in Hebrew that the agency was “a branch of Hamas”. Among the protesters was Aryeh King, deputy mayor of Jerusalem.

UNRWA was established as a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly in 1949, one year after Israel’s establishment which brought about the mass Palestinian forced displacement known as the Nakba.

It has since been the main provider of aid for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and the surrounding countries of Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan,