UN alarmed after Israel refuses staff visas
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Sulaiman
- . December 10, 2022
- . Update: December 10, 2022 10:24 pm
Concerns have been raised by the UN regarding an Israeli decision to deny entry permits to its personnel.
The group issued a warning that the action might have an impact on aid efforts in Palestine and the capacity of the aid sector to assist Palestinians.
The decision has a substantial impact on the ability of the humanitarian community to assist Palestinians, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Dujarric stated, “Of course, we are still in touch with the Israeli authorities about this issue and we hope it will be handled.”
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The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ representatives were denied visas by the Israeli Foreign Ministry because they were allegedly “undercounting” the number of Israeli civilians who are killed or injured in Palestinian attacks.
According to the Israeli Ynet website, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that OCHA staff members consistently count Israelis killed during Palestinian operations but fail to designate them as “terrorist assaults.”
“OCHA is accused of reporting the killing or injury of Israeli civilians under questionable circumstances while accepting allegations of Palestinian casualties at face value and blaming Israel, including in encounters between IDF forces and Palestinian militants,” the ministry stated.
In spite of Israel’s obligation to cooperate with the UN, Shawan Jabarin, the director general of the Al-Haq Palestinian Human Rights organisation, blamed the UN for its inaction and carelessness in objecting to Israel’s prior bans on international commissions of enquiry and special rapporteurs entering the Palestinian territories.
Due to the OCHA team’s lack of protest against prior Israeli acts, Israel’s refusal to issue the team with entrance permits, according to Jabarin, is “no longer shocking.”
“OCHA is a body that deals with humanitarian issues, and this denial of entry visas to its team is an Israeli message to the UN that your previous complacency will lead to a day when no UN official will be allowed to enter the Palestinian territories unless Israel approves of their presence,” Jabarin said in an interview.
