United Nations, Rabi'I 24, 1437, Jan 4, 2016, SPA -- The U.N. expert on the human-rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories resigned Monday, complaining that Israel never granted him access to the areas he was mandated to monitor. "The United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Makarim Wibisono, today submitted his resignation to the president of the Human Rights Council, effective as of 31 March, 2016," a U.N. statement said. Wibisono, who took the position in mid-2014, "expressed deep regret that throughout his mandate, Israel failed to grant him access to the Occupied Palestinian Territory," the statement said. "Unfortunately, my efforts to help improve the lives of Palestinian victims of violations under the Israeli occupation have been frustrated every step of the way," Wibisono said in the U.N. statement. --SPA 19:12 LOCAL TIME 16:12 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w