Israel has banned the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, from entering its country.
“Today, I have declared UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres persona non grata in Israel and banned him from entering the country,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X. “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.”
“This is a Secretary-General who has yet to denounce the massacre and sexual atrocities committed by Hamas murderers on October 7, nor has he led any efforts to declare them a terrorist organization,” he continued.
“A Secretary-General who gives backing to terrorists, rapists, and murderers from Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran—the mothership of global terror—will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN,” Katz wrote, noting that Israel will “defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without António Guterres.”
In 2023, Guterres said the world was witnessing an “unparalleled and unprecedented” degree of civilian death.
“This is what matters. We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since I have been Secretary-General,” he said.
The statement was widely condemned, as U.N. data shows that other conflicts have led to far greater numbers of civilian casualties, writer Hen Mazzig shared on social media.
