The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned Israel’s decision to shut down six United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools in occupied East Jerusalem, calling it a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter.
In a statement on Wednesday, the OIC described the move as an illegal attempt to undermine UNRWA’s role in Jerusalem and a direct breach of UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV), which established the agency's mandate in 1949.
Israeli authorities on Tuesday ordered the closure of six UNRWA-operated schools located in the neighborhoods of Shuafat, Silwan, Sur Baher, and Wadi Al-Joz, giving the agency 30 days to comply. The OIC warned that this decision would deprive thousands of Palestinian refugee children of their basic right to education and accused Israel of seeking to impose its own curriculum in occupied territories.
Israel passed a law in 2024 banning UNRWA operations in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Since the start of its military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, dozens of UNRWA schools and health centers have been destroyed or damaged.
The OIC urged the international community to step up political, financial, and legal support for UNRWA to ensure continued services for millions of Palestinian refugees, in accordance with UN Resolution 194.
In a statement on Wednesday, the OIC described the move as an illegal attempt to undermine UNRWA’s role in Jerusalem and a direct breach of UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV), which established the agency's mandate in 1949.
Israeli authorities on Tuesday ordered the closure of six UNRWA-operated schools located in the neighborhoods of Shuafat, Silwan, Sur Baher, and Wadi Al-Joz, giving the agency 30 days to comply. The OIC warned that this decision would deprive thousands of Palestinian refugee children of their basic right to education and accused Israel of seeking to impose its own curriculum in occupied territories.
Israel passed a law in 2024 banning UNRWA operations in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Since the start of its military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, dozens of UNRWA schools and health centers have been destroyed or damaged.
The OIC urged the international community to step up political, financial, and legal support for UNRWA to ensure continued services for millions of Palestinian refugees, in accordance with UN Resolution 194.
