UNRWA’s first and last vocational college in East Jerusalem is under threat

Qalandiya, West Bank – By midday Friday, Israeli troops had withdrawn from the Qalandiya Training Centre successful occupied East Jerusalem, but overhead, an Israeli drone inactive hovered successful the sky, apt filming and monitoring immoderate enactment below.

For now, occupied East Jerusalem’s past remaining vocational grooming centre remains off-limits to Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israeli troops are threatening to tempest astatine immoderate time.

Looking done the UNRWA centre’s main gate, the aftermath of a erstwhile Israeli raid was evident: Shattered glass, the remnants of metallic and charred ground.

Other videos Al Jazeera obtained from the grooming installation amusement classrooms ransacked, doors smashed and workshops abandoned.

UNRWA confirmed harm to the installation erstwhile Israeli troops were contiguous and said it had received reports of “individuals entering the premises and attempting to bargain immoderate of its contents”.

Registration for the caller schoolhouse twelvemonth was unfastened until September 1, and classes were to statesman soon. UNRWA says it hopes to reopen the installation astatine the earliest imaginable opportunity.

But connected Tuesday, Israeli subject and constabulary unit raided the centre and surrounding areas, expelling astir 40 unit members.

The Qalandiya Training Centre has already been raided six times this year, UNRWA said.

But this clip it was different, with Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir accompanying the constabulary during the incursion.

“Here sat the manager of UNRWA, and present I beryllium successful his place,” helium said.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs besides said connected societal media that the onshore volition beryllium handed to the Jerusalem municipality and turned into an acquisition complex.

But that’s precisely what the centre presently is – an acquisition installation giving Palestinian refugees the accidental to survey and articulation the workforce.

Each year, astir 340 Palestinian refugees from crossed the occupied West Bank postgraduate from the grooming centre.

After they implicit a two-year programme, they tin get vocational diplomas successful 16 specialisations, including carpentry, telecommunications, and interior design.

For many, this is simply a accidental to get the skills needed to articulation the workforce, physique a beingness and a career. The United Nations says 90% of the graduates from the installation find a job, which is simply a singular accomplishment fixed that nearly 1 successful 3 Palestinians successful the occupied West Bank are retired of work.

The centre has been moving for much than 7 decades, and 1 of its graduates is 73-year-old Youssef Abu Latifeh, who lives arsenic a exile successful the Qalandiya exile camp.

At his home, helium shows america his architectural drafting diploma. Printed successful 1974, immoderate of the ink has faded, but UNRWA’s bluish stamp and Youssef’s grades are inactive visible.

He was 20 years aged erstwhile helium graduated from the centre. It helped him unafraid a occupation successful a Greek institution successful Libya, earlier returning to his exile campy successful the occupied West Bank.

“If it wasn’t for the centre, I wouldn’t person finished my studies. My begetter worked astatine the UN, and his elemental wage was hardly capable to prolong our large family, fto unsocial nonstop maine to a university. So, I beryllium the centre a lot,” Youssef told Al Jazeera.

He had heard the quality astir the centre being threatened with closure, but didn’t deliberation it would really happen.

“It’s excessively achy to spot however galore radical volition beryllium deprived of this important opportunity,” helium told Al Jazeera.

The centre was established successful 1952 connected an eight-hectare (20-acre) crippled of land, rented to UNRWA by the Jordanian government, which astatine the clip administered the West Bank and East Jerusalem, earlier Israel’s concern of the territory.

While Israeli authorities assertion the onshore belongs to the Jewish National Fund, and has been handed to the Jerusalem Municipality, UNRWA says the premises are protected by the privileges and immunities of the UN nether planetary law.

UNRWA besides stressed that the centre is successful occupied East Jerusalem and is portion of occupied Palestinian territory, truthful Israel has nary sovereign jurisdiction implicit the land.

In 1980, Israel illegally declared the annexation of occupied East Jerusalem – but it had been moving connected this since its 1967 concern of the Palestinian territory.

Palestinians, similar Youssef, accidental the warfare connected UNRWA isn’t truly astir the onshore oregon buildings, but different effort to erase what the bureau represents: Palestinian refugees’ plight and their close of return.

Israel’s run against the UN bureau for Palestinian refugees has escalated successful caller years. In 2024, Israel’s Knesset passed respective anti-UNRWA laws.

Israeli authorities besides stopped issuing visas oregon permits to UNRWA’s planetary unit since the extremity of January 2025.

In May 2025, Israeli authorities forcibly closed six UNRWA schools successful occupied East Jerusalem, including the schools successful Shu’fat Camp, affecting astir 800 children.

In January 2026, Israeli authorities took implicit the UNRWA office successful occupied East Jerusalem and demolished mobile offices there.

UNRWA has already been suffering a heavy fiscal crisis. This has been made worse by Israel’s freezing of the agency’s funds aft alleging it had ties with Hamas, despite providing nary capable proof to backmost its claims. Still, the harm has been done.