OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), UNRWA has warned that any closure or seizure of Qalandia Training College by Israeli authorities would deprive Palestinian refugees of essential education and vocational training services provided by the agency under its mandate from the UN General Assembly.
The warning came during a Zoom meeting with UNRWA director of affairs in the West Bank Roland Friedrich, held as part of a field tour organized by the college on Tuesday for a number of journalists to review the college’s situation and the ongoing Israeli threats against it.
Friedrich said that Qalandia Training College is the first and oldest vocational institute established by UNRWA more than 70 years ago, noting that it has graduated thousands of Palestinian refugees who have joined local and regional labor markets.
He added that the college receives hundreds of Palestinian refugee students every year from across the occupied West Bank and provides them with free vocational education, particularly amid the difficult economic and social conditions facing refugees.
Friedrich explained that the college has faced ongoing threats from Israeli authorities for months, including attempts to close it and seize the facility, stressing that Israeli forces’ entry into the college without prior authorization or permission constitutes a violation of the privileges and immunities granted to the UN and its organizations.
He noted that the college has been raided five times since the beginning of this year, with the latest raid taking place on July 27, when Israeli forces detained about 80 students and 45 employees inside the college and prevented them from leaving without providing any official documents or notices.
Qalandia Training College is located north of Occupied Jerusalem, opposite Qalandia refugee camp.
In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed two laws targeting UNRWA’s operations, one banning the agency’s activities in areas under what it described as “Israeli sovereignty,” and the other restricting official contact with the agency.
