Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan condemn Israel closing six UNRWA-run schools in East Jerusalem

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Muslim World League on Friday evening condemned Israel’s decision to shut down six schools operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in occupied Jerusalem.

On Tuesday, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said a statement that Israel had decided to close the UNRWA schools in the neighbourhoods of Shuafat Camp, Silwan, Wadi al-Joz, and Sur Baher in Jerusalem.

In its statement, the ministry condemned the move, though it did not specify when it had taken place.

The ministry added that the Israeli decision means "depriving hundreds of students of their right to education, undermining their future, attempting to impose the Israeli curriculum on them, and harming the educational process—in clear violation of the immunity and privileges granted to the United Nations and its affiliated offices and institutions".

Describing the denial of education to children as "a new crime in the ongoing series of Israeli crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its firm rejection of “the politicization of education and the Israeli moves aimed at ending or reducing the role of UNRWA". 

It further stressed "the urgent need for the international community to act to hold Israel accountable and compel it to comply with international law," and affirmed that “the right to education is a fundamental right guaranteed by international human rights laws and conventions".

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "The Kingdom strongly condemns the closure orders issued by Israel against six UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem."

The ministry stated Saudi Arabia’s categorical rejection of "the continued intransigence of the Israeli occupation authorities and their systematic targeting of UNRWA and humanitarian relief work, amid the silence of the international community".

It also called on the international community to fulfil its responsibilities regarding the ongoing Israeli violations against the Palestinian people, stressing that the continued international silence in the face of such violations would only "exacerbate the crisis and undermine the chances of achieving peace in the region". 

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs added its own condemnation, warning of dire consequences for Palestinian students and UNRWA's wider mission.

In a statement, ministry spokesperson Sufyan Al-Qudah expressed "the Kingdom’s absolute rejection and condemnation of the decision to close the schools," saying it would "deprive around 800 male and female students of completing the academic year" and marked "an obvious continuation of the systematic Israeli campaign targeting UNRWA’s work in occupied Jerusalem".

The ministry accused Israel of carrying out a "political assassination" of UNRWA, aimed at eroding its symbolic role in affirming "the right of Palestinian refugees to return and compensation in accordance with international law". It warned of the "catastrophic consequences of Israel’s illegal actions against UNRWA and its institutions, which provide indispensable services that cannot be replaced".

The Muslim World League also condemned Israel’s closure of UNRWA schools in Jerusalem, expressing solidarity with the agency’s humanitarian mission. In its statement, the League urged collective international action against what it called Israel’s ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law, describing the closures as part of a brutal campaign against Palestinian civilians.

On 30 January, the Israeli government’s decision to ban UNRWA operations in occupied Jerusalem went into effect, forcing international staff members of the agency to leave the city as their Israeli permits expired.

Israel ordered UNRWA to vacate all its facilities in East Jerusalem and cease its operations there by the same date. The decision was conveyed in a letter from Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations to the organisation's Secretary-General António Guterres on 24 January. 

Since then, UNRWA has evacuated its main headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood—where it had been based since 1951—along with a clinic in the Old City and several schools across East Jerusalem, including a vocational training centre in Qalandiya. The agency had been providing services to a total of 70,000 patients and 1,150 students.