Israel has declared United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as a “persona non grata” and banned him from entering the country, as reported by The Guardian.
According to the Israeli Foreign Minister, Yisrael Katz, Guterres will be remembered as a stain on the UN’s reputation. Katz stated on social media:
“Today I declared António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, as persona non grata in Israel and banned him from entering the country. Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s horrible attack against Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil.”
He added:
“The Secretary-General – who supports Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran’s terrorists, aggressors, and murderers – will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN by the world. Israel will continue to defend its citizens and preserve its national dignity, with or without António Guterres.”
The Guardian notes that in October 2023, Guterres stated: “I have unequivocally condemned the horrific and unprecedented acts of Israeli terrorism by Hamas on October 7. Nothing can justify the deliberate killing and abduction of civilians – or the firing of rockets at civilian targets. Every hostage must be treated with humanity and released immediately, unconditionally.”
However, Israelis were angered by his same speech statement:
“It is important to recognize that Hamas attacks did not take place in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to an oppressive occupation for 56 years.”
He continued: Palestinians “have seen their land constantly eaten away by settlements, they have been subjected to violence; their economy has been suffocated; their citizens have been displaced, and their homes have been demolished. But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the terrifying attacks by Hamas. And these terrible attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
