Israel has informed the United Nations (UN) that it will not renew the visa of its humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Lynn Hastings, according to a spokesperson for the UN. Israeli officials claim that Hastings cannot be impartial, prompting the decision. Hastings, a Canadian diplomat, was appointed as the deputy special envoy for the Middle East peace process and resident coordinator for the West Bank and Gaza Strip by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in December 2020. The UN spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, stated that the Israeli authorities have relayed their decision not to renew Hastings' visa beyond its expiration date later this month.

Israel has told the United Nations it will not renew a visa for the top U.N. humanitarian aid official for the Palestinian Gaza Strip and West Bank, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday. https://t.co/dz81yUsMWe

— Michelle Nichols (@michellenichols) December 1, 2023

However, it remains unclear if Hastings will be replaced or if she will continue her work from a different location. Despite the Israeli criticism, Dujarric emphasized that Guterres maintains full confidence in Hastings. Explaining the reasoning for Israel's decision, Dujarric revealed that Hastings has faced public attacks on Twitter that were deemed unacceptable by the UN. In late October, the Israeli foreign ministry criticized her on social media platforms, claiming that she was not impartial or objective according to UN ethics.

The ministry accused Hastings' rhetoric of endangering innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians and alleged that she was slow to condemn the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants. This incident is not isolated, as other UN representatives have been subjected to similar criticism from Israeli officials since the beginning of the conflict. Israel's UN envoy, Gilad Erdan, has repeatedly called for Guterres' resignation. In fact, in late October, Erdan announced that Israel would no longer grant visas to UN envoys, alleging that officials from the world body had spread lies about the situation.

The decision by Israel not to renew Hastings' visa points to the ongoing tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the challenges faced by international organizations attempting to navigate the delicate issue. The accusations and counteraccusations between Israel and the UN raise questions about the impartiality and objectivity of humanitarian coordination in the region. As the situation continues to unfold, the international community will be closely watching for any developments that may impact the prospects of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.