Israel Dismisses Request for U.N. Rights Chief to Visit

By Yoni Weiss

Israel on Thursday dismissed a request from United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk to access the country after he called for an international probe into the Israel-Hamas war and appeared to equate Israeli actions to those of the Hamas terror group.

“Israel is not aware of any added benefit of the high commissioner’s visit at this time,” the country’s mission to the U.N. in Geneva told the AFP, when asked about Volker Turk’s request to be permitted to visit Israel.

In comments to the media after his briefing to U.N. member states, Turk said lasting peace was impossible without an end to longstanding violations of human rights.

Turk, who described the bombardment by Israel as “of an intensity rarely experienced in this century,” also expressed concern about increasing violence and discrimination against Palestinians in Yehudah and Shomron.

“In my view, this creates a potentially explosive situation, and I want to be clear: we are well beyond the level of early warning,” Turk told states.

“I am ringing the loudest possible alarm bell.”