UN says Israel will not renew visa for top aid official

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.
Canadian-born Lynn Hastings, a veteran U.N. official, has served as the deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process and U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory for nearly three years.
“We’ve been informed by the Israeli authorities that they would not renew the visa of Ms Hastings past the due date at some point later this month,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
He said U.N. staff do not overstay their visas in any country, but stressed that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has full confidence in Hastings. Dujarric did not say whether Hastings would be replaced.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.