RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Friday strongly condemned Israel’s closure orders against six schools in East Jerusalem operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the move a blatant violation of international norms and a threat to humanitarian work.
The ministry said it “condemns in the strongest terms” the Israeli decision and reiterated the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of what it described as “continued intransigence and systematic targeting” of UNRWA by the Israeli occupation authorities.
The ministry also criticized what it called the international community’s silence in the face of repeated violations against the Palestinian people, warning that such silence “exacerbates the crisis and undermines the chances of achieving peace in the region.”
The UN agency said the closure orders were delivered following the forcible entry of Israeli security forces into six UNRWA-run schools, which have now been told to shut down within 30 days.
Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner general, said this week that around 800 students were at risk of not completing the school year.
“These illegal closure orders come in the wake of Knesset legislation seeking to curtail UNRWA operations,” Lazzarini said, adding that the schools were protected under the privileges and immunities of the UN.
