Denied Visa by Israel, UN Rights Expert Cancels Visit to Palestine
UNITED NATIONS, 19 Jan 2015
Ma’an News Agency – TRANSCEND Media Service
Rashida Manjoo (MaanImages/file)
An official visit by a UN expert on violence against women was cancelled Friday [16 Jan 2015] after Israeli authorities refused to give her a visa that would allow her to enter Palestine.
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes, and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, had been invited on a fact-finding mission by the Palestinian Authority to “obtain first-hand understanding of issues related to violence against women” from Jan. 19-29, 2015.
All travel in and out of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is controlled by Israel, however, and authorities there refused to give her a visa, according to a statement released by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“For the past six weeks, I have repeatedly sought the cooperation of the government of Israel to facilitate access to the occupied Palestinian territory for me to undertake this visit. Regrettably, I did not receive the necessary support, including a visa by the Government of Israel, ahead of my travel, which is scheduled for tomorrow,” Manjoo said in the statement.
“It is unfortunate that I have been denied the opportunity to engage directly with women survivors of violence, and that the exercise of my mandate has been hindered by the unwillingness of the government of Israel, as the occupying power, to facilitate access to the occupied Palestinian territory.”
“My intention, as per practice during my country visits, was to support the Palestinian Authority to strengthen its capacity to protect and promote women’s rights and to meet its international human rights obligations,” she continued.
“The program of the visit included meetings with Palestinian officials, law enforcement agents, representatives of civil society organisations and survivors of violence in different locations. It also included visits to prisons, refugee camps and shelters for women survivors of violence, among others.”
Despite Israel’s refusal to give her a visa, Manjoo said in the statement that she was still “interested in visiting the occupied Palestinian territory,” calling upon “Israel as the occupying power, to facilitate access to the territory.”
Israel regularly denies visas and refuses entry to those it deems sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, but it relatively rare for authorities to target international representatives with the policy.
In November, Israeli authorities banned the Colombian foreign minister from visiting the West Bank after discovering that she did not plan to meet with Israeli officials as well.
The case came shortly after Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert, who has famously worked in Gaza hospitals throughout Israeli bombardments, announced that he had banned by Israel from ever returning.
Join the BDS-BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, SANCTIONS campaign to protest the Israeli barbaric siege of Gaza, illegal occupation of the Palestine nation’s territory, the apartheid wall, its inhuman and degrading treatment of the Palestinian people, and the more than 7,000 Palestinian men, women, elderly and children arbitrarily locked up in Israeli prisons.
DON’T BUY PRODUCTS WHOSE BARCODE STARTS WITH 729, which indicates that it is produced in Israel. DO YOUR PART! MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
7 2 9: BOYCOTT FOR JUSTICE!
DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
She asked for a visa to ‘Palestine’…there is no such country. If she had wanted to go to the Palestinian Authority as part of a visit to Israel of course she would have been issued a visa.
This was all politicl theatre.