JERUSALEM: The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East warned on Tuesday that any unlawful closure or seizure of the Qalandia Training College by Israeli authorities would deprive Palestinians essential education and vocational training services provided under the agency’s mandate from the UN General Assembly.
The warning came during an online briefing by UNRWA Director of Affairs in the West Bank Roland Friedrich as part of a media tour organized by the college to highlight its work and the ongoing Israeli threats against it.
Friedrich said Qalandia Training College was UNRWA’s first and oldest vocational training institute, established more than 70 years ago, and has graduated thousands of Palestine refugees who have entered local and regional labor markets.
He stressed that the college was a UN facility protected by the privileges and immunities guaranteed under international law.
He added that the college enrolls hundreds of Palestine refugee students from across the occupied West Bank each year, aged between 15 and 19, providing free vocational education, particularly in light of the difficult social and economic conditions facing refugees.
