In December 2023, Lynn Hastings, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, had to leave Israel. Eli Cohen, the Israeli foreign minister, declared on X that he had “revoked” the residence visa of the UN’s second-highest official in Jerusalem. Cohen argued that Hastings had not condemned Hamas at the time of the October 7, 2023, massacre, but had condemned Israel instead. This extreme measure is representative of the obstacles being placed by Israel on the work of humanitarian aid workers deployed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on behalf of the UN and non-governmental organizations.
Until recently, visas for UN officials were extended for six months or a year, as part of a routine procedure. But since October 2023, this has taken between 10 days and two months, or even longer. “It’s all very random. Then, when approval is given, visas are only renewed for a period of two months. Sometimes less. This complicates the humanitarian response. What’s happening is unprecedented,” said Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA, the UN agency in charge of Palestinian refugees. Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, confirmed that “visa extensions are granted for a maximum of two or three months. It’s a tedious process that creates significant restrictions for our staff.”
According to a senior UN official in Jerusalem, of the 150 international civil servants based in the city, 67 are waiting for their visas, 25 of them for more than three months. While their passports are in the hands of the Israeli authorities for renewal, they are unable to travel for personal or professional reasons.
‘A sovereign decision’
The Israeli Foreign Ministry acknowledges that the procedure has changed: “In light of the behavior of the UN and some of its agencies, Israel examines each case individually. Some officials who applied for visas were granted them. As for the duration of visas, that’s a sovereign decision,” said Alex Gandler, deputy spokesman for the ministry. An Israeli official explained that “the idea is to renew visas for shorter periods so that we can constantly examine how this organization works. UN institutions are operating under a little more under scrutiny than usual.”
This crisis is part of the long history of confrontation between Israel and the UN, which was exacerbated on October 7, 2023. Israel criticizes the institution for its belated condemnation of the Hamas attack, including a statement by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on October 24: “It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum.” The following day, Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the international organization, announced that Israel would refuse to issue visas to UN representatives.
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