Israel: UN Officials No Longer Granted Automatic Visas; ‘Covering Up for Hamas’

Israel announced Tuesday that it will no longer automatically approve visa requests from United Nations (UN) officials, due to the UN’s silence on Hamas terrorism and its apparent collaboration with Hamas within Gaza.

Visas for UN officials will henceforth be considered on a case-by-case basis, Israel said.

Israeli government spokesman Eytan Laor made the announcement during a press briefing:

תדרוך יומי אנגלית 26.12.23 from Mizmor Productions LIVE on Vimeo.

An update on the deeply problematic involvement of the United Nations in this conflict: For 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 shields strategy. They have let the world down. We are demanding global accountability, and now we are leading by example. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that visa requests by UN employees will no longer be granted automatically, and will instead be considered on a case-by-case basis. Israel will stop working with those who cooperate with the Hamas terror regime’s propaganda machine, and 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.

Israel has been frustrated for many years with the one-sided nature of deliberations at the UN, which tends to criticize Israel alone, and completely out of proportion to criticism of any other country. It has also noted the role of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in radicalizing young Palestinians and perpetuating the conflict. More recently, it has also noted the UN’s silence on Hamas, its indifference to the theft of international aid by Hamas, and its reluctance to condemn terror against Israel.

Israel has also been sharply critical of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has not been allowed to visit Israeli hostages held by Hamas — and has been passive in pushing for the right to do so, which it has under international law.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.