Israel has imposed a ban on United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, preventing him from entering the country following his remarks on Iran’s attack on Tel Aviv.
Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz announced the decision on X, stating, “I decided today to declare U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres an undesirable personality in Israel and to ban his entry into Israel.
"Anyone who is unable to unequivocally condemn Iran's criminal attack on Israel, as almost all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israel's soil," he added.
Guterres had issued a statement on Tuesday following Iran’s missile strikes on Israel, saying, “I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation. This must stop. We absolutely need a cease-fire."
He further added, "An all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected."
Minister Katz criticised Guterres, alleging that the U.N. Secretary-General has "not yet denounced the massacre and sexual crimes committed by the murderers of Hamas on October 7, and has not led to decisions to declare them a terrorist organization."
Reacting to the said ban, the United Nations on Wednesday called Israel’s ban on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres entering the country a political statement by its foreign minister and stressed that the world body’s contacts with Israel will continue “because they have to.”
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz deeming the UN chief “persona non grata” is also “one more attack on the United Nations staff that we’ve seen from the government of Israel.”
Recall that in his October 2023 remarks, Guterres cited Israeli occupation in the West Bank.
"It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum," he said. "The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation."
In remarks before the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, Guterres said the "deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence must stop."
In remarks made to the U.N. Security Council in October 2023, Guterres had said, “I have unequivocally condemned the horrifying and unprecedented acts of terror committed by Hamas on 7th October in Israel.”
“Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injury, or kidnapping of civilians – nor the launching of rockets targeting civilian areas,” he emphasised at the time.
However, in those same October remarks, Guterres also referenced the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, noting, “It is important to recognise that Hamas’ attacks did not occur in isolation. The Palestinian people have endured 56 years of stifling occupation.”
In his address to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, Guterres urged for an end to the ongoing cycle of violence, saying, “The deadly cycle of retaliatory violence must cease.”
He added, “The events of the past week, the past month, and indeed the past year make it abundantly clear: it is time for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and irreversible progress towards a two-state solution.”
Guterres also called for a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, highlighting the need for concrete actions to fully implement Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701, paving the way for diplomatic efforts towards lasting peace.
