Petitioners asked the High Court of Justice on Tuesday to issue an interim order to delay the implementation of recent Knesset legislation targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, warning that its enforcement is already leading to the shutdown of vital services for tens of thousands of east Jerusalem residents.
The request was filed ahead of a scheduled High Court hearing on February 2, seeking to suspend the entry into force of amendments to the anti-UNRWA law passed in late December.
Respondents were given until this afternoon to convey their stance on the matter to the court. Among the respondents are the Knesset, Defense Minister Israel Katz, military officials, the Attorney-General’s Office, the Education Ministry, and the Jerusalem Municipality.
The petitioners argue that the legislation, which significantly expands the state’s authority to sever utilities, cancel permits, and seize property used by UNRWA, is being implemented in a manner that causes immediate and irreversible harm – all while its constitutionality remains under judicial review.
According to the filing, state authorities have already begun taking concrete enforcement steps, including issuing orders to disconnect water and electricity, closing schools and medical facilities, and demolishing structures affiliated with the agency in east Jerusalem neighborhoods such as Sheikh Jarrah and the Old City Basin.
UNRWA closure orders
The petitioners, represented by Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, argue that the amendment creates a “sweeping enforcement mechanism” that allows the state and municipal authorities to halt the provision of electricity, water, sewage, communications, and other essential services to properties used by UNRWA, even indirectly, without meaningful safeguards or transitional arrangements.
The filing detailed a series of actions already taken since early January. On April 6, the Education Ministry issued closure orders for six UNRWA-run schools in east Jerusalem, affecting 783 students, according to the petition.
Further, additional warning notices have since been sent by the body overseeing Jerusalem’s water utilities and the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC), informing UNRWA facilities that service would be disconnected within 15 days.
On January 12, the IEC notified several UNRWA sites – schools, a garbage collection facility, and a vocational training center in the Kalandiya area – of impending electricity cuts, according to documents appended to the request.
The petition also cites a police closure order issued earlier this month against an UNRWA-operated Jerusalem health clinic in the Old City, which has provided medical care for decades and treated more than 24,000 patients in 2025 alone. While the order was issued for a limited period, the petitioners warn that without electricity and water, the clinic may be unable to reopen, leaving thousands without access to healthcare.
On Tuesday, authorities, accompanied by Israel Police and Border Police forces, entered the UNRWA headquarters compound in Sheikh Jarrah and began demolition work, including the destruction of offices and logistical infrastructure that had served the agency for years, according to the petition and media reports.
Maariv reported that the site was slated for evacuation and further demolition as part of the enforcement of the new law.
The demolition has been widely reported as part of the state’s broader implementation of the amended legislation. However, officials have maintained that the enforcement actions are grounded in Israeli law and municipal authority, independent of the petition now before the High Court.
UNRWA officials said that tearing down the compound marked the first destruction of a UNRWA facility under the amended legislation. They warned that additional sites could face similar action in the coming weeks.
The UN agency has come under sustained criticism from Israel in recent years, which intensified following the October 7 Hamas attack. Authorities and leadership have accused the agency of systemic failures, alleging that some of its employees were affiliated with terrorist organizations and that UNRWA infrastructure was redirected for militant activity.
In the past two days, officials again highlighted the case of Yonatan Samerano, who was murdered on October 7, after security sources alleged that an individual employed by UNRWA was involved in his killing and abduction. The allegations, which UNRWA has said it is reviewing, have been cited by government figures as further justification for the legislation aimed at curtailing the agency’s operations in Israel and Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, the petition argues, the amendment violates Israel’s international legal obligations, encompassing the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which is vital for maintaining the rule of law and fairness in international relations.
The state, for its part, has argued in previous filings and public statements that UNRWA’s unique status does not place it beyond Israeli sovereignty or enforcement powers, particularly where security concerns are implicated.
By and by, the petitioners referenced an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in October 2025, which held that UNRWA cannot be replaced “on short notice and without a proper transition plan,” and emphasized the agency’s unique role in providing basic services to Palestinian civilians.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and senior officials have repeatedly warned that cutting utilities to schools, clinics, and training centers would effectively force the agency to cease operations in east Jerusalem.
In their request for an interim order, the petitioners urged the High Court to maintain the status quo until a final ruling was issued, saying that continued enforcement risks creating irreversible facts on the ground.
“Disconnecting essential infrastructure, closing facilities, and demolishing buildings while the petition is pending would render any future judicial relief meaningless,” the filing stated, cautioning “severe, immediate, and irreversible harm” to residents who rely on the services provided by the agency.