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Israel shoots down nomination for new UN Mideast envoy

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Jerusalem rejects United Nations nominee for new Middle East envoy, telling UN Secretary-General António Guterres to draft list of alternative candidates.

By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli government has rejected the nominee tapped to serve as the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Yedioth Aharanoth reported late Monday night.

On November 21, 2024, the previous UN Middle East envoy, Norway’s Tor Wennesland, announced his resignation from the position after a rocky tenure.

First appointed in December, 2020, Wennesland had been involved in mediating talks between Israel and Hamas prior to the October 7, 2023 invasion.,

After the invasion, however, Wennesland admitted that he had misjudged Hamas.

“Politics failed,” he told The New York Times. “Diplomacy failed. The international community failed. And the parties failed.”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres recently submitted the nomination of a possible successor, former Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, to Israel for consideration.

According to Monday night’s report, Israel rejected Haavisto, an ally of Guterres, over his close ties to the UN secretary-general, marking a continuation of tensions between Jerusalem and the Portuguese politician who has served as chief UN officer since 2017.

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Israel also reportedly rejected Haavisto’s candidacy over his past criticisms of the Jewish state, his advocacy in favor of a two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state, and concerns that if appointed, Haavisto would spark a further escalation of tensions between Jerusalem and the UN’s senior leadership.

The Israeli government has requested that the United Nations submit a list of alternative candidates from which to choose a replacement for Wennesland.

The decision not to accept Haavisto as Special Coordinator sends the matter back to Guterres, who is expected to consult with the United Nations Security Council and the Palestinian Authority.

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