The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) had to close the doors of its East Jerusalem headquarters because Israeli residents have set fire, twice, to the perimeter of its building. “A crowd accompanied by armed men were witnessed outside the compound chanting ‘Burn down the United Nations,’” said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner General.
The attack came after two months of “Israeli extremists staging protests outside the UNRWA compound,” he said. One protest this week “became violent when demonstrators threw stones at UN staff and at the buildings of the compound.”
The UNRWA chief said: “Over the past months, UN staff have regularly been subjected to harassment and intimidation. Our compound has been seriously vandalized and damaged. On several occasions, Israeli extremists threatened our staff with guns.”
