Israel’s foreign minister has declared United Nations, UN, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “persona non grata” and barred him from entering the country.
Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday accused Guterres of failing to “unequivocally” condemn Iran’s missile attack on Israel. Israel has persistently complained over the UN’s approach throughout its yearlong war in Gaza.
“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil,” Katz wrote on X.
Warming to his theme, the official accused the UN chief of giving his “backing to terrorists, rapists, and murderers” and branded him “a stain on the history of the UN”.
The attack came in response to Guterres’s statement regarding Iran’s missile barrage.
Shortly after the attack, Guterres condemned the escalation of violence in the region but made no mention of Iran.
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The UN chief wrote on Tuesday evening: “I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation. This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.”
Asked about the move at a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said: “Steps like these are not productive to (Israel) improving its standing in the world.”
“The UN does incredibly important work in Gaza. It does incredibly important work in the region. And the UN, when it’s acting at its best, can play an important role for security and stability,” Miller added.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric described the announcement as political and “just one more attack, so to speak, on UN staff that we’ve seen from the government of Israel.” He said the UN traditionally does not recognise the concept of persona non grata as applying to UN staff.
At an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, Guterres said: “As I did in relation to the Iranian attack in April – and as should have been obvious yesterday in the context of the condemnation I expressed – I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attack by Iran on Israel.”
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