UN staff working with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been systematically obstructed and harassed by Israeli forces and authorities since the start of the Gaza conflict five months ago, according to internal UN documents obtained by the Guardian. exposed to
The document lists hundreds of incidents, from the alleged blindfolding and assault of UN personnel at checkpoints to Israeli forces using UN facilities as firing bases during raids on refugee camps where Palestinians were killed. recorded.
The document was compiled by Unrwa, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine, which has provided vital services to Palestinians in the occupied territories for decades.The agency is at the center of a heated controversy After being accused by Israel of collaborating with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The company denies the charges and says no solid evidence has been presented to support the charges.
Unrwa spokeswoman Juliet Touma said the incident occurred in the West Bank, where the agency is based. Operates 96 schools and 43 clinics for 871,000 registered refugees – The internal document details that it was “part of a broader pattern of harassment seen against Unruwa in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
“We have no problems with Unrwa in the West Bank,” an IDF spokesperson said, adding: “We are not trying to harass them.” There is nothing we do intentionally to sabotage their important work.We have been unable to verify these claims and no evidence has been presented [for them]. We have good relationships with Unrwa and other organizations in the West Bank. ”
A barrage of rhetoric against Unruwa from senior officials is stirring up public sentiment in Israel. Weekly protests are held at the agency’s field office in East Jerusalem, and earlier this year an unknown driver fired a handgun from his car in the city, a previously unreported shooting. ing. The attack is being investigated by police.
The document details how a health center in Unruwa, in the West Bank, ran out of critical supplies after a medical shipment in Jordan was held up at Israeli customs for more than two months. The 42-pallet shipment containing antibiotics, antihistamines, painkillers and drugs to treat diabetes, high blood pressure and schizophrenia arrived in Amman in January, but it has been delayed since 2020 after The Guardian contacted Israeli authorities about the matter. Customs clearance was finally completed hours later on Sunday. An Israeli customs spokesperson denied there had been any delays.
The document also claims: [in the West Bank] He was verbally abused, subjected to identification and searches, and required to remove his clothes to prove he was unarmed. ”
Additionally, “increasingly egregious violations of UN privileges and immunities have been recorded, including the incursion of UNRWA facilities by armed personnel as part of the ISF.” [Israeli security forces] operations, and the damage to Unrwa facilities that occurred during those operations. ”
The document cites the United Nations Convention on Privileges and Immunities, adopted in 1946, under which United Nations agencies “have the right to carry out without hindrance activities in support of their missions.” There is.
In one of the most serious incidents documented, in February 2024, two Unruwa personnel in a marked UN vehicle were intercepted by soldiers at a temporary checkpoint as they attempted to leave a Palestinian village near Bethlehem. was stopped by.
The soldiers “forcibly” removed the keys and “forced the staff to come out at gunpoint,” then searched the vehicle and taunted the staff, “referring to Hamas officials.” The officers were then told to kneel, blindfolded, handcuffed with plastic zip ties and beaten before senior officers intervened, the documents state.
The documents also state that Israeli forces have used Unruwa facilities during military operations in the West Bank, including at least one facility where several Palestinians were killed. There is.
According to the document, since October 7, Unrwa has recorded 135 incidents affecting clinics, schools and offices, ranging from break-ins and abuses to military operations that resulted in the landing of tear gas canisters and bullets. ing.
According to the document, on December 8, Israeli security forces Launched raids targeting armed groups in Al Faara refugee camp In the northern West Bank, they broke through the gates of the Unruwa Health Center there and lowered a UN flag.
“The health center had United Nations flags and signs clearly posted. At least 10 armed ISF personnel entered the closed building. They removed the United Nations flag on the roof, They were seen taking up positions in floor windows and roofs, pointing firearms at the camp. After ISF withdrew from the camp and Unrwa staff were able to safely return to the health center. [spent] Ammunition was discovered on the property,” the document states.
As a result of the Israeli attack, Six Palestinians killed, including a 14-year-old boyold.
The document is also critical of many camp-based militants, whom Anruwa refers to as “militants.”
“In order to divert ISF infiltration into the camps, armed groups in some refugee camps have set up systems of improvised barricades and IEDs, some of which are adjacent to or near Unrwa facilities, blocking their services. This puts the refugees they serve and the staff who serve them at further risk,” the document says.
One place where problems have been recurring is the al-Arroub refugee camp south of Bethlehem, which has been under severe restrictions since October 7 by Israeli authorities, who have restricted access to nearby highways. New metal gates have been installed to prevent this, and dirt and stones have been dumped to block back roads. . In one case, security forces notified a local community that a new gate would be closed for three days after a stone was thrown into a guard tower, the document said.
Despite efforts to coordinate with Israeli authorities, Unruwa personnel in and around Arroub camp are frequently prevented from further movement, subjected to vehicle searches, humiliated, and accused of supporting terrorism. The document claims that it does.
“Regardless of coordination, access may be denied completely. Access procedures may change sporadically and without prior notice depending on the forces stationed at the checkpoint and may be unpredictable “These factors made operational planning for the Anruwa-on-Arroub camp extremely difficult,” the document states.
Israeli officials say tough measures are needed to prevent terrorist attacks on Israeli soil from the West Bank. From October 7th, 15 Israelis killed, 99 injured, including four members of Israeli security forces Also in the West Bank and Israel, including East Jerusalem, according to the United Nations.
“Since December, Israel’s decision to ‘take the gloves off’ against these groups has significantly reduced the number of successful attacks. In total, the IDF has reported at least 665 significant attacks since October 7th. was prevented.” Neomi Neumannwrote a visiting fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former head of the Israeli Security Agency’s research unit earlier this month.
One of Unrwa’s documents states that the closure and movement restrictions in the West Bank have caused “severe economic hardship, especially for Palestinians who work in another city or rely on traveling to Israel for work.” It says that there are.
“The longer access and movement restrictions continue, the more likely the West Bank will become destabilized,” the report concludes.
Since October 7, 418 Palestinians have been killed across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, including 407 by Israeli security forces and nine by settlers, according to the United Nations.
The Gaza war was sparked by a surprise attack by Hamas on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 250 hostages. More than 31,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in subsequent Israeli attacks, according to Gaza health officials.
