Former UNRWA Jerusalem headquarters to become IDF recruitment office and museum
Work started on Sunday to convert the ex-UNRWA headquarters in Ma’alot Dafna into an Israel Defense Forces recruiting center and museum.
On Sunday morning, crews started work to transform the former UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem’s Ma’alot Dafna district into a new Israel Defense Forces recruitment office and museum, Deputy Mayor Arieh King reported. The conversion fulfills a promise by the “United” party to relocate the military’s recruitment center from Romema to the former UNRWA compound, which will also host a defense-minister bureau. The site was previously ordered vacated by the Israel Land Authority in May 2024, which demanded 27 million shekels in retroactive compensation. Earlier, the Knesset passed legislation in October 2024 banning UNRWA from operating in Israel, a law that took effect on 30 January 2025, leading to the agency’s office closures and demolition of its headquarters.
Why it matters
The repurposing signals a permanent shift of a former UN refugee agency site to Israeli military use, reflecting broader policy changes toward UNRWA.
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