Israel blocks visa for top UN official after Gaza comments
"I have instructed not to extend the residency permit of the head of the OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) office in Israel, Jonathan Whittall," Saar wrote on X.
Whittall, a South African who lives in Jerusalem and frequently visits the Gaza Strip, has repeatedly condemned the humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people living in the Palestinian territory.
In April, he said that Gazans were "slowly dying" due to the effects of Israel's war against Hamas militants.
Saar's decision, which he said came after "biased and hostile conduct against Israel which distorted reality" and broke U.N. neutrality rules, is the latest taken against senior U.N. officials.
Since the war began in October 2023, Israel has made it harder to get visas for those working for OCHA, the U.N. human rights office OHCHR and the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA.
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