Israel decides not to extend visa of 'dangerously biased' UN envoy
'She is supposed to be impartial and objective, but unfortunately she is neither. Hastings' dangerous rhetoric endangers innocent Israel, Palestinian lives'
Israel has notified the United Nations that it will not renew the visa of its humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, a UN spokesman said Friday, after Israeli officials accused the diplomat of "dangerous" bias.
In December 2020, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres named Canada's Lynn Hastings as his deputy special envoy for the Middle East peace process and the resident coordinator for the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"We've been informed by the Israeli authorities that they would not renew the visa of Miss Hastings past its due date at some point later this month," Guterres's spokesperson told reporters.
It is unclear Hastings, who is based in Jerusalem, will be replaced or if she will continue her work from another base of operations.
In late October, the Israeli foreign ministry lashed out at Hastings on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: "According to UN ethics, she is supposed to be impartial and objective, but unfortunately she is neither."
"Hastings' dangerous rhetoric endangers innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians," said the post, which featured a video claiming that Hastings was slow to condemn the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants.