Ben-Gvir defies Netanyahu, turns UNRWA eviction into fresh diplomatic crisis

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir defied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request to avoid personally overseeing the eviction of the UNRWA compound in Kafr Aqab, Jerusalem, on Tuesday. Ben-Gvir, who published a video from inside the compound, stated, "I am the national security minister. The law bans UNRWA." This action, taken nearly two years after Israel passed legislation prohibiting UNRWA's operation, drew renewed international criticism. Netanyahu later issued a statement emphasizing the operation was under his direction, citing UNRWA employees' alleged involvement in the October 7 attacks. The UN condemned the move, with Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, acting UN special coordinator, calling it an "unauthorized entry and unlawful seizure" of a protected UN facility and urging Israel to withdraw. Israel's Foreign Ministry countered that the land, owned by the Jewish National Fund since 1937, was allocated to the Jerusalem Municipality for a new educational and community complex, asserting UNRWA had no ownership rights.