Israel announced on Wednesday its decision to revoke the residency visa of United Nations humanitarian coordinator Lynn Hastings on Wednesday.
“Someone who did not condemn Hamas for the brutal massacre of 1,200 Israelis…but instead condemns Israel, a democratic country that protects its citizens, cannot serve in the UN and cannot enter Israel ! Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen wrote on X.
We will no longer remain silent in the face of UN prejudice!
I have decided to revoke the Israeli residency visa of the UN “humanitarian” coordinator, Lynn Hastings.
Someone who did not condemn Hamas for the brutal massacre of 1,200 Israelis, for the kidnapping of babies and…
— אלי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) December 5, 2023
But the incident is only the latest in a series of clashes between Israel and the UN over the war in Gaza, in a manner unusual for the world body’s member states.
What is the latest argument about?
Hastings said Monday that “the conditions required to deliver aid to the people of Gaza do not exist.”
The UN official also warned that “if possible, an even more hellish scenario is about to unfold, in which humanitarian operations may not be able to respond.” She was referring to the resumption of Israeli bombing of Gaza after the end of a temporary pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli response – which effectively triggered Hastings’ expulsion from the occupied Palestinian territories – marks the latest setback in its strained ties with the UN.
Israeli ambassador accuses UN chief of bias
On October 25, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said his country would deny visas to UN officials after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized Israel for ordered civilians to evacuate from the north to the south of Gaza.
Guterres also said that Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 did not occur “in a vacuum” as Palestinians have been “subjected to 56 years of stifling occupation.”
Earlier, on October 18, after the bombing of the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire in the region, condemning the collective punishment inflicted on Palestinians.
Then, on November 14, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Guterres was unfit to lead the UN because he had not done enough to condemn Hamas.
UNRWA teacher accused of guarding prisoners
Israeli journalist Almog Boker claimed on November 29 that one of the captives released during the temporary break was being held by a teacher at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA).
UNRWA issued a statement on December 1, calling the allegation unfounded. “UNRWA and other UN entities have asked the journalist to provide more information on what we consider to be a very serious allegation. Despite repeated requests, the journalist did not respond,” the statement said.
🛑 Spreading unsubstantiated claims about @UNRWA must stop immediately.
Making serious allegations in the public domain, without being supported by supporting evidence or verifiable facts, may constitute misinformation.
FULL declaration ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1XGV99RbXw
– UNRWA (@UNRWA) December 1, 2023
UNRWA schools bombed
Israel’s aggression against UNRWA is not limited to allegations against its teachers. Several UNRWA schools were targeted by Israeli bombings.
On November 18, it was reported that at least 50 people were killed in an Israeli attack on the Al Fakhura school. On November 23, it was reported that 27 people were killed in the Israeli attack on the Abu Hussein school.
At least 47 UNRWA buildings were damaged throughout the war.
UNRWA currently houses around 1.2 million civilians – two-thirds of all displaced people in Gaza – in its shelters across the north and south of the Gaza Strip.
UN personnel killed
At least 130 UNRWA personnel were killed in Israeli bombings throughout the war. This is the highest number of UN personnel killed in conflict in the organization’s history.
WHO chief in Israel’s crosshairs
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday on X that the agency had received notification from the Israeli military to withdraw its medical supplies from southern Gaza in the 24 hours. “We call on Israel to withdraw this order and take all possible measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and humanitarian facilities,” he wrote.
Today, @WHO received notification from the Israel Defense Forces informing us that we needed to remove our supplies from our medical warehouse in southern Gaza within 24 hours, as ground operations would render them unusable.
We call on #Israel withdraw the order and take all possible measures…
– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 4, 2023
Israel responded, denying having issued such a warning. “From a UN official, we would expect, at least, to be more specific,” said COGAT, the Israeli body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs in Gaza and parts of the occupied West Bank. . posted on X.
Ghebreyesus previously criticized Israel’s proposal for a patch of land in the narrow coastal town of al-Mawasi to be considered a safe zone in Gaza, calling it a recipe for disaster on November 17.
The WHO chief said the WHO would not participate in the creation of a so-called “safe zone” in Gaza “without broad agreement, and unless fundamental conditions are in place to ensure security and other essential needs are met, and a mechanism is put in place.” in place to supervise its implementation.
“Holocaust Reversal”?
Israel has repeatedly targeted Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, a sharp critic of Israeli policies.
On December 4, after Albanese drew parallels between the dehumanization of Jews before the Holocaust and Israel’s war on Gaza, Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy hit back. Levy accused Albanese of Holocaust inversion.
Disgusting inversion of the Holocaust from a shameless and complicit Hamas leader who we thought could sink no lower, but who did.
– Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) December 4, 2023
