The UN Under-Secretary-General and head of the world body’s legal department, Elinor Hammarskjöld, has said that Israel is obstructing its work in the Palestinian territories, including by restricting visas for UN staff and workers of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“The process of issuing visas to UN staff [by Israel] is facing even greater restrictions and limitations, and measures are being taken against UNRWA staff because of their duties to the organization,” she said during a hearing on Israel’s obligations towards the occupied Palestinian territories at the International Court of Justice. According to Hammarskjöld, Israel has attempted “unauthorized entry” into schools run by UNRWA for Palestinian children, as well as decisions to close them.
Hearings on Israel’s obligations towards the occupied Palestinian territories have begun at the International Court of Justice and will continue until May 2. According to a press release, the court has received a total of 45 written statements from various countries and international organizations. Russia was among the first countries to submit its statement.