News - Israel to take punitive measures against UN?

Israeli authorities are considering far-reaching measures against UN agencies operating on its territory and in Palestine after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were named in a UN report last week as an entity that fails to protect children in conflict zones, according to five people familiar with the matter, reports the Financial Times. While no final decision has been taken, measures under discussion include the “slow-roll” or outright rejection of visa renewals for foreign UN staff, the boycott by the Israeli government of key UN officials, as well as the unilateral termination and expulsion of entire UN missions, such as the UNTSO peacekeeping force established in 1948. Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), the main political arm of the UN effort in Israel and the Palestinian territories, may also be targeted, according to several people. The issue of applying retaliatory measures against the UN was raised at the Cabinet session of the Israeli government on June 9. Moreover, the following day this discussion was circulated in the National Security Council of the Jewish state. A final decision has not been made yet, the Financial Times added.