Germany on Friday condemned Israeli settlers' violence against UN facilities in East Jerusalem, and urged Israeli authorities to take the necessary protective measures.
The headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem was attacked by extremist Israeli settlers on Thursday evening, while the UN agencies' staff were on the compound.
“We condemn the escalation of violent protest against UNRWA in East Jerusalem,” the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on social media, stressing the importance of UNRWA's work in providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
“Israel must ensure the protection of United Nations facilities and personnel in the occupied Palestinian territories. The UN needs to be able to serve their important mandate in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” the statement said.
On Thursday evening, extremist Israeli settlers attempted to set on fire the UNRWA Headquarters, armed men were witnessed outside the compound chanting: “Burn down the United Nations.”
“While there were no casualties among our staff, the fire caused extensive damage to the outdoor areas,” the UNRWA said in a statement.
