Israel suspends issuing visas to humanitarian workers in the West Bank and Gaza.

Alice Froussard, RFI - The Israeli government has stopped issuing visas to foreign NGO workers operating in the occupied West Bank since October 7th, when the war in the Gaza Strip began. In almost five months, two-thirds of these aid workers have been left without visas. The remainder have documents that are nearing their expiration date.

Foreign humanitarian workers will be forced to leave the country or accept remaining in the territory illegally. RFI spoke with one of them, who preferred not to be identified. His visa expired at the end of 2023 and was extended until February 8th. But since then, Israeli authorities have not authorized the renewal of the document, as is customary.

“I have become illegal. That is, I am in a complicated situation that affects both my presence in the territory and my operational capabilities to carry out my work. I can no longer move freely in the West Bank, go to Jerusalem, or cross checkpoints,” he reports.

Around one hundred workers involved in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population are in the same situation. The foreigners will have to leave the region at the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere, when the last visas issued in 2023 will have expired.

According to Israeli authorities, the situation is due to a "reorganization of the visa issuance process" since the beginning of the war, but the expected automatic renewal did not occur, as was the case before the conflict.

The humanitarian sector is the most affected. UN humanitarian workers are also being affected by restrictions on remaining in the territory and only have access to Israel and Gaza for short periods.

Firas Arouri is the coordinator of the Association of International Development Agencies (Aida) in Ramallah. "We have cases of NGO directors or other managers who haven't had their documents renewed," he says. "Sometimes the problem affects small organizations that can't afford to lose their key staff, especially now."

The humanitarian sector is particularly targeted. "The humanitarian sector is practically expelled from the West Bank," denounces Firas Arouri. "We see this measure as intrinsic to the widespread restrictions on access for NGOs, whether in the West Bank or Gaza. Expatriates from other sectors have had their visas extended, so the humanitarian sector is targeted by this decision, which is political," says the Aida coordinator.

Diplomatic authorities have all been alerted, says Firas Arouri, before calling for action and a common position from the international community regarding the situation. The Israeli Interior Ministry, when contacted, declined to comment.