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View all search resultsIndonesia condemns Israeli demolition of UNRWA buildings
Indonesia has denounced Israel's recent demolition of buildings belonging to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees in the occupied East Jerusalem.
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A photograph shows heavy machinery demolishing a structure inside the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem on Jan. 20, 2026. (AFP/Ilia Yefimovich)
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ndonesia has denounced the demolition by Israel of buildings belonging to the United Nations agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees in the occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel began bulldozing structures inside the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) compound on Tuesday after seizing the site last year and repeatedly accusing the agency of ties to Hamas, without providing evidence, a claim UNRWA has denied. The demolition also followed Israel's new law passed in October 2024 banning the agency from operating on Israeli soil.
In a statement on X on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta said Indonesia “strongly condemns the destruction of UNRWA facilities by Israel”, and that “the act constitutes a serious violation of UNRWA’s privileges and immunities”.
“Indonesia calls on Israel to respect international humanitarian law and international law, including by ensuring the protection of UN facilities and personnel,” the ministry added.
The ministry also said that any application of the Israeli law that obstructed UNRWA’s work in delivering humanitarian aid in the [Israeli] occupied Palestinian territory “is inconsistent with Israel’s international obligations, particularly under the UN Charter”.
The compound has been empty of UNRWA staff since January 2025, when the law banning its operations took effect after a months-long battle over its work in Gaza, AFP reported.
UNRWA also operates in Gaza, the West Bank and elsewhere in the Middle East, providing schooling, health care, social services and shelter to millions of Palestinians.
