‘Anti-Israel mandate’: UN human rights envoy blocked from entering Gaza

‘Israeli authorities have admitted they blocked a UN human rights envoy from entering the occupied Gaza area for a second year in a row, just as a UN report on last year’s Gaza war is about to be made public.

“We didn’t allow this visit,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon, as cited by AFP. The visit by the UN special rapporteur on human rights, Makarim Wibisono, was due to take place last week.

However, according to Nahshon, the decision doesn’t go against Israel’s commitments to the UN. “Israel cooperates with all the international commissions and all rapporteurs, except when the mandate handed to them is anti-Israeli and Israel has no chance to make itself heard.”‘

Read more: 'Anti-Israel mandate': UN human rights envoy blocked from entering Gaza