In a bold move, Israel has declared UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata after he called for a ceasefire following Iran’s attack on the Jewish state and condemned the widening of the conflict in the Middle East. The escalation began when Tehran launched several salvos of missiles in response to the recent Israeli killings of the heads of Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as an Iranian general who was in Lebanon.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday that Guterres is no longer allowed to enter the country, accusing the UN chief of failing to denounce Iran’s “abhorrent attack.” In a statement, the minister wrote, “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 also criticized Guterres for not denouncing the massacre and sexual atrocities committed by Hamas murderers on October 7, nor making any effort to declare the Palestinian militant group a terrorist organization. The minister further claimed that Guterres “will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN” for giving “backing to terrorists, rapists and murderers from Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and now Iran.
In response to Iran’s attack on Israel, Guterres wrote on X that he was “extremely concerned with the escalation of the conflict in Lebanon” and condemned the overall broadening of the Middle East conflict with “escalation after escalation.” He stressed the need for a ceasefire, stating, “This must stop.
While Guterres has not yet commented on Israel’s decision to ban him from entering the country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the move effectively excludes the UN from regulating the conflict. He urged all parties to exercise restraint in the region and expressed concern over the Israeli point of view, which seems to exclude any role for the UN in resolving the ongoing tensions.