Qalandiya, West Financial institution – By noon Friday, Israeli troops had withdrawn from the Qalandiya Coaching Centre in occupied East Jerusalem, however overhead, an Israeli drone nonetheless hovered within the sky, probably filming and monitoring any exercise under.
For now, occupied East Jerusalem’s final remaining vocational coaching centre stays off-limits to Palestinians. In the meantime, Israeli troops are anticipated storm the ability once more at any time.
Wanting by the UNRWA centre’s most important gate, the aftermath of a earlier Israeli raid was evident: Shattered glass, the remnants of steel and charred floor.
Different movies Al Jazeera obtained from the coaching facility present lecture rooms ransacked, doorways smashed and workshops deserted.
UNRWA confirmed injury to the ability when Israeli troops have been current and mentioned it had acquired experiences of “people coming into the premises and making an attempt to steal a few of its contents”.
Registration for the brand new faculty yr was open till September 1, and courses have been to start quickly. UNRWA says it hopes to reopen the ability on the earliest attainable alternative.
However on Tuesday, Israeli army and police personnel raided the centre and surrounding areas, expelling about 40 employees members.
The Qalandiya Coaching Centre has already been raided six occasions this yr, UNRWA mentioned.
However this time it was completely different, with Israel’s Nationwide Safety Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir accompanying the police in the course of the incursion.
“Right here sat the director of UNRWA, and now I sit in his place,” he mentioned.
The Israeli Ministry of Overseas Affairs additionally mentioned on social media that the land shall be handed to the Jerusalem municipality and become an academic complicated.
However that’s precisely what the centre at the moment is – an academic facility giving Palestinian refugees the prospect to review and be part of the workforce.
Annually, about 340 Palestinian refugees from throughout the occupied West Financial institution graduate from the coaching centre.
After they full a two-year programme, they will receive vocational diplomas in 16 specialisations, together with carpentry, telecommunications, and inside design.
For a lot of, this can be a probability to get the talents wanted to hitch the workforce, construct a life and a profession. The United Nations says 90% of the graduates from the ability discover a job, which is a exceptional achievement on condition that nearly one in three Palestinians within the occupied West Financial institution are out of labor.
The centre has been working for greater than seven many years, and one in every of its graduates is 73-year-old Youssef Abu Latifeh, who lives as a refugee within the Qalandiya refugee camp.
At his dwelling, he exhibits us his architectural drawing diploma. Printed in 1974, a number of the ink has pale, however UNRWA’s blue stamp and Youssef’s grades are nonetheless seen.
He was 20 years outdated when he graduated from the centre. It helped him safe a job in a Greek firm in Libya, earlier than returning to his refugee camp within the occupied West Financial institution.
“If it wasn’t for the centre, I wouldn’t have completed my research. My father labored on the UN, and his easy wage was barely in a position to maintain our massive household, not to mention ship me to a college. So, I owe the centre so much,” Youssef instructed Al Jazeera.
He had heard the information concerning the centre being threatened with closure, however didn’t suppose it will really occur.
“It’s too painful to see how many individuals shall be disadvantaged of this significant alternative,” he instructed Al Jazeera.
The centre was established in 1952 on an eight-hectare (20-acre) plot of land, rented to UNRWA by the Jordanian authorities, which on the time administered the West Financial institution and East Jerusalem, earlier than Israel’s occupation of the territory.
Whereas Israeli authorities declare the land belongs to the Jewish Nationwide Fund, and has been handed to the Jerusalem Municipality, UNRWA says the premises are protected by the privileges and immunities of the UN below worldwide regulation.
UNRWA additionally confused that the centre is in occupied East Jerusalem and is a part of occupied Palestinian territory, so Israel has no sovereign jurisdiction over the land.
In 1980, Israel illegally declared the annexation of occupied East Jerusalem – however it had been engaged on this since its 1967 occupation of the Palestinian territory.
Palestinians, like Youssef, say the battle on UNRWA isn’t actually concerning the land or buildings, however one other try and erase what the company represents: Palestinian refugees’ plight and their proper of return.
Israel’s marketing campaign in opposition to the UN company for Palestinian refugees has escalated lately. In 2024, Israel’s Knesset handed a number of anti-UNRWA legal guidelines.
Israeli authorities additionally stopped issuing visas or permits to UNRWA’s worldwide employees for the reason that finish of January 2025.
In Could 2025, Israeli authorities forcibly closed six UNRWA faculties in occupied East Jerusalem, together with the faculties in Shu’fats Camp, affecting roughly 800 youngsters.
In January 2026, Israeli authorities took over the UNRWA headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem and demolished cellular places of work there.
UNRWA has already been struggling a deep monetary disaster. This has been made worse by Israel’s freezing of the company’s funds after alleging it had ties with Hamas, despite providing no adequate proof to again its claims. Nonetheless, the injury has been carried out.
