UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Israel that it could be referred to the International Court of Justice if it does not repeal laws targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and return its confiscated properties. The Israeli Knesset has passed laws restricting the agency’s activities in the country, and authorities have seized UNRWA offices in East Jerusalem. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected the warning letter and criticized UNRWA staff for alleged involvement in terrorism.

Guterres, in a letter dated January 8 to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the United Nations cannot remain indifferent “to the measures taken by Israel, which directly contradict its obligations under international law. They must be reversed without delay.”

In October 2024, the Israeli parliament (Knesset) passed a law banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and prohibiting its officials from contacting the agency. The law was amended last month to prohibit supplying UNRWA facilities with electricity or water.

Israeli authorities also seized UNRWA offices in East Jerusalem last month. The United Nations considers East Jerusalem occupied territory, while Israel regards the entire city as part of its sovereign land.

On Tuesday, Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon rejected Guterres’s letter to Netanyahu.
Danon said, “We are not disturbed by the Secretary-General’s threats. Instead of addressing the undeniable involvement of UNRWA staff in terrorism, the secretary-general chooses to threaten Israel. This is not a defense of international law but of an organization involved in terrorism.”