Adalah Files Urgent Request to Israeli Supreme Court to Halt Implementation of New Anti-UNRWA Law Mandating Severance of Electricity and Water to UNRWA facilities
As Israeli forces raided and began demolishing UNRWA’s East Jerusalem headquarters today, Adalah submitted an urgent request demanding a halt to the December 2025 law, stating that property seizures and utility disconnection cause “irreversible damage” and violate international law.
Today, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel filed an urgent request for an interim injunction as part of an ongoing petition before the Israeli Supreme Court against Israel’s anti-UNRWA laws. The request seeks to freeze the implementation of a sweeping new law passed in late December 2025, which has already triggered immediate efforts to cut off essential water and electricity services to UNRWA facilities in East Jerusalem.
The legal action follows an unprecedented and illegal morning raid on UNRWA’s headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem during which Israeli bulldozers began demolishing structures.
Background: In January 2025, Adalah, representing Palestinian refugees together with the NGO Gisha, petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to annul two laws designed to terminate UNRWA’s operations. While the court previously declined to freeze the laws, the situation escalated dramatically on 30 December 2025, with the passage of the UNRWA Activity Cessation (Amendment) Law, 2025.
The 2025 Amendment
The new amendment expands the original ban on UNRWA activities to total “service disconnection,” entailing:
- Mandatory Infrastructure Disconnection: It prohibits the provision of essential services—including electricity, water, gas, and telecommunications—to any property in which UNRWA is a consumer or even indirectly active.
- Revocation of All Permits: It mandates the cancellation of all licenses, permits, and visas previously granted to UNRWA and its personnel.
- Abolition of Legal Immunities: It explicitly strips UNRWA of its long-standing protections under the 1947 UN Privileges and Immunities Ordinance, exposing its assets to seizure and its staff to legal proceedings.
- Property Seizures: It grants the Israeli authorities power to seize real estate used by UNRWA in designated compounds.
After the passage of the amendment, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure ordered utility providers to begin disconnections immediately, including:
- Water and Electricity: On 8 January 2026, the Hagihon water company issued a 15-day warning to UNRWA. On 12 January, the Jerusalem District Electricity Company followed suit, targeting facilities in Shuafat, Wadi Hilweh, and Sur Baher.
- These water and electricity cuts threaten several healthcare and education facilities, including for instance, the operation of the Kalandia Vocational Training Centre, which has served refugees for 70 years, and which was currently attended by 350 students, as well as multiple health clinics and schools in the Old City of Jerusalem.
- On 12 January, police forcibly entered and issued a temporary closure order for the Al-Zawiya health clinic, which provided over 24,000 treatments in 2025 alone.
Violations of International Law
In the request to the Court, Adalah argues that these moves directly defy the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) Advisory Opinion of 22 October 2025, in which it ruled that Israel is legally obliged to facilitate UNRWA’s aid and cannot lawfully replace its unique infrastructure. The motion highlighted that the damage caused by these disconnections would be irreversible and would effectively render the main petition moot.
The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on the petition for 2 February 2026, after many delays by the state, which were approved by the court. Adalah is demanding the court intervene immediately to prevent a total humanitarian shutdown before the hearing takes place. Adalah Attorney Suhad Bishara is representing the petitioners in this case.
Related press releases:
Knesset passes laws aiming to shut down UNRWA, violating Israel`s obligations under intl. law – 28 October 2024
Palestinian Refugees Petition Supreme Court Against Israeli Laws Aimed at Shutting Down UNRWA – 16 January 2025
Israel`s Supreme Court Rejects Request to Suspend Implementation of Laws Aimed at Shutting Down UNRWA Operations – 29 January 2025
Israeli Supreme Court rejects second request to halt anti-UNRWA laws as six UNRWA schools face closure in occupied East Jerusalem – 24 April 2025
Photo: Israeli notice pasted on UNRWA premises. Source: WAFA.
