UN Secretary-General Banned from Israel Over Response to Iran’s Missile Attack
TEL AVIV — In a bold move, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has been barred from entering Israel due to his handling of Iran’s recent ballistic missile onslaught.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz didn’t mince words, labeling Guterres as an “anti-Israel secretary-general who lends support to terrorists”.
Following Iran’s launch of approximately 180 missiles into Israel, Guterres took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his concerns. He condemned “the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation” and urged for an end to the violence.
While he called for a ceasefire in the region, Guterres refrained from specifically addressing the Iran attack.
In a scathing statement released on Wednesday, Katz declared Guterres persona non grata in Israel, asserting that anyone who fails to denounce Iran’s attack on Israel unequivocally is unwelcome on Israeli soil.
Katz also criticized Guterres for his perceived anti-Israel stance throughout the conflict.
The recent attack by Iran is just one in a series of escalations that began nearly a year ago with assaults on Israel by Hamas and more recently involving heightened conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.
Israel responded to the unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7th by launching a military campaign in Gaza, resulting in casualties and hostages.
Since then, the conflict in Gaza has claimed the lives of 41,689 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The ongoing clashes between Israel and the United Nations regarding Gaza and the West Bank have further strained relations between the two entities.
Additionally, tensions have risen over the role of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
Israel accused several UNRWA staff members of involvement in the October 7th attacks, prompting an investigation and the temporary withdrawal of support from international funders. Ultimately, nine staff members were dismissed for their alleged roles in the attacks.
Throughout the conflict, UNRWA has criticized Israel for airstrikes in Gaza that have resulted in the deaths of its staff members. — BBC
