Israel to Stop Granting Automatic Visas for UN Employees Over Suspicion of Hamas Ties

A flag of the United Nations flies in front of the U.N. headquarters in Geneva in a file photo. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

Israel stated on Dec. 26 that it will stop granting automatic visas for U.N. employees while accusing the United Nations of being “complicit partners” in Hamas’s “propaganda.”

Instead, the nation will consider visa requests from U.N. employees on a “case-by-case basis,” according to government spokesman Eylon Levy.

The decision comes as tensions between the U.N. and Israel have risen in recent weeks, in part because of the intergovernmental organization’s repeated calls for a cease-fire in Gaza amid the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict.

In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Levy said Israel is “demanding global accountability for international officials complicit with Hamas’s propaganda” and is now “leading by example.”

“Too long, international officials have been deflecting blame onto Israel to cover up for the fact that they are covering up for Hamas. In failing to condemn Hamas for hijacking aid and failing to condemn it for waging war out of hospitals, they have been complicit partners in Hamas’s human shield strategy,” he said.

“They have let the world down.”

As a result, Israel will no longer work with those who “cooperate with Hamas’s terror regime’s propaganda machine,” according to Mr. Levy.

“We urge our allies to do the same and stand up for basic integrity in the global institutions that should serve and not sabotage international security,” he said.

Separately, Israel’s minister of foreign affairs, Eli Cohen, wrote in a post on X that he has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to not extend the visa of one of the organization’s employees in Israel and to deny the visa request of another employee.

“We will no longer remain silent in the face of the U.N.’s hypocrisy!” Mr. Cohen wrote. “The conduct of the U.N. since October 7th is a disgrace to the organization and the international community.”

UN Conduct a ‘Disgrace’

Mr. Cohen claimed that the alleged “disgrace” began with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who he said has “legitimized war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

It continued with U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, who he claimed “publishes unsubstantiated blood libels,” and with U.N. Women, an organization aimed at gender equality and women’s empowerment that he claimed had “for two months ignored the acts of rape committed against Israeli women.”

“We will stop working with those who cooperate with the Hamas terrorist organization’s propaganda,” Mr. Cohen said.

Responding to Israel’s decision on Dec. 26, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement to Axios that the organization will continue to work with Israel on the visa issue.

“Visas for U.N. officials to Israel have always been issued on a case-by-case individual basis, just like any other member state,” Mr. Dujarric said.

The Epoch Times contacted a U.N. spokesperson for further comment but didn’t receive a reply by press time.

Mr. Dujarric’s remarks came after the U.N. stated on Dec. 26 that it was “gravely concerned about the continued bombardment of Middle Gaza by Israeli forces,” which has claimed the lives of more than 100 Palestinians since Christmas Eve.

Palestinians gather at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at the Maghazi camp in the central Gaza Strip on Dec. 25, 2023. Shadi Tabatibi/Reuters

UN Approves Gaza Aid Resolution

The agency stated that the latest “intense bombardment” comes after Israeli forces ordered residents from the south of Wadi Gaza to move to middle Gaza and Tal al-Sultan in Rafah.

The strikes hit refugee camps and residential buildings, according to the U.N., while roads connecting at least three of those refugee camps have been destroyed, preventing relief aid from reaching those in need.

“We restate our warning that all attacks must strictly adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction, proportionality, and precaution in attack. Israeli forces must take all measures available to protect civilians,” the organization stated. “Warnings and evacuation orders do not absolve them of the full range of their international humanitarian law obligations.”

Last week, the U.N. Security Council approved a binding resolution to take “urgent steps” to boost aid “directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip” amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

A total of 13 nations voted in favor of the resolution, with the United States and Russia abstaining.

Earlier this month, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Just 10 countries voted against the resolution, including the United States and Israel. Twenty-three countries, including the UK, abstained.

Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 240 people, including women and children.

Since then, more than 20,900 Palestinians—including women and children—have reportedly been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. The health ministry doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel says its military campaign is going to eliminate Hamas.

In a statement to NewsNation on Dec. 26, the Israel Defense Forces stated that it “follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.”