Israel has sharply escalated its dispute with the United Nations after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that he could refer the country to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its treatment of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA.
In a letter sent on January 8 to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Guterres accused Israel of violating its international obligations by targeting UNRWA’s operations and confiscating its property. “The United Nations cannot remain indifferent to actions taken by Israel, which are in direct contravention of the obligations of Israel under international law. They must be reversed without delay,” the Secretary-General wrote.
The clash follows several Israeli legislative moves against UNRWA. In October 2024, lawmakers passed a bill barring the agency from operating within Israel and restricting official contacts with it. Later, in December 2025, the Knesset approved further amendments cutting off electricity and water supplies to UNRWA facilities.
The situation intensified when Israeli authorities seized UNRWA’s East Jerusalem offices on December 8, 2025. According to Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, police “forcibly entered” the compound, disconnected communications, and removed furniture and IT equipment. “The UN flag was pulled down and replaced with an Israeli flag,” he said, describing the move as a direct assault on the UN’s mandate.
Israeli officials, however, dismissed Guterres’ warning as baseless and politically motivated. “We are not fazed by the Secretary-General’s threats,” said Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon. “Instead of dealing with the undeniable involvement of UNRWA personnel in terrorism, the Secretary-General chooses to threaten Israel. This is not defending international law, this is defending an organization marred by terrorism.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Tuesday that Israel would cut coordination with additional UN bodies, including the UN Alliance of Civilizations, UN Energy, and the Global Forum on Migration and Development. The move coincides with the United States’ recent withdrawal from several multilateral institutions, signaling a broader Western backlash against perceived UN bias toward Israel.
UNRWA, created in 1949, remains central to humanitarian relief for millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and across neighboring countries. While UN officials say its work is indispensable, Israel has accused the agency for years of being infiltrated by militant groups. The UN has admitted that nine staff members were suspected of involvement in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack but emphasized that all were immediately dismissed and an internal review is underway.
In October 2025, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion reaffirming that Israel must respect the legal protections and immunities of all UN operations, including UNRWA. However, the opinion remains nonbinding, leaving enforcement entirely dependent on political pressure — something Israel now appears determined to resist.
However, critics argue that UNRWA has strayed far from its humanitarian mission, allowing its facilities and personnel to become entangled with extremist activity targeting Israel. Over the years, reports have surfaced of UNRWA textbooks containing anti-Israel incitement and of agency employees openly praising terror groups online. Yet, instead of addressing these systemic failures, Secretary-General António Guterres has been accused of fixating on condemning Israel while staying conspicuously silent on far more egregious human rights abuses in places like Iran, Syria, and China. His repeated targeting of the world’s only Jewish state—paired with his reluctance to hold other nations to similar standards—has fueled growing accusations of bias and even antisemitism, a stance many believe undermines the UN’s credibility as a neutral global institution.
