Israel said Monday that it would shut out two United Nations staff members, declining to renew one worker’s visa and denying the other’s visa request outright, citing the U.N.’s response to Israel’s continued assault on the Gaza Strip.
Eli Cohen, Israel’s minister for foreign affairs, announced the move in a tweet that framed the decision in moral terms. “We will no longer remain silent in the face of the UN’s hypocrisy!” he wrote.
“We will stop working with those who cooperate with the Hamas terrorist organization’s propaganda,” Cohen added.
Cohen called the U.N.’s conduct in the months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks “a disgrace to the organization and the international community.” He accused its leadership, including Secretary-General António Guterres, of legitimizing and ignoring war crimes.
Guterres has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza and sounded the alarm on the humanitarian crisis rapidly spiraling out of control in the enclave, where more than 20,000 Palestinians—most of them civilians—have reportedly been killed since the start of the war. Roughly 1.9 million people—around 85 percent of Gaza’s population—have been displaced by Israeli strikes in the last two and a half months.
A shattering strike on the crowded Al-Maghazi refugee camp late Sunday killed at least 70 more people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel’s military told CNN in a statement that “in response to Hamas’ barbaric attacks, the IDF is operating to dismantle Hamas military and administrative capabilities.”
Earlier this month, the secretary-general invoked Article 99 of the U.N. Charter, a rarely used provision, to warn the Security Council that he believes the conflict threatens international peace and security. “As the conflict intensifies and the horror grows, we will continue to do our part. We will not give up,” Guterres said at a press briefing last week.
Although the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire over a week ago, the Security Council adopted a resolution with weaker language on Friday, urging aid access but stopping short of calling for a suspension of hostilities. Israel’s U.N. deputy ambassador criticized the resolution for failing to condemn Hamas, according to the Associated Press.
A spokesperson for the foreign ministry told JewishPress.com that they would continue to review U.N. employees’ visa requests on a case-by-case basis, suggesting that a blanket ban had not yet been put in place.
Still, Israel’s decision to not cooperate with the United Nations on these two particular visas is a potentially serious step away from the intergovernmental organization, and it could mark a larger break from much of the international community as Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza.
