Israel is said to oppose the appointment of the Finn as the UN coordinator for the peace process in the Middle East and leader of Unsco. The background is Israeli concerns that Haavisto is too close to Secretary-General António Guterres and advocates a two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, reports Israeli Ynet.
Jerusalem is said to have requested "more names" for consideration.
The relationship between Israel and António Guterres is strained, as Israel has reacted angrily to things the Secretary-General has said about the Gaza war and forbidden him to visit Israel. The news site Ynet describes Guterres as "anti-Israel".
In the work of appointing a new UN coordinator, following the Norwegian Tor Wennesland, Guterres will also consult the Palestinian side and the UN Security Council.
Pekka Haavisto ran in Finland's presidential election last year, but lost by a narrow margin to Alexander Stubb.
