Israel on Wednesday declared UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as persona non grata and barred him from entering the country.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said that anyone who cannot condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil.
"Today, I have declared UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres persona non grata in Israel and banned him from entering the country. 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," the Israel's foreign ministry said in a post on X.
Today, I have declared UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres persona non grata in Israel and banned him from entering the country.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) October 2, 2024
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…
The foreign minister attacked Guterres saying that the UN Secretary-General is yet to denounce the "massacre and sexual atrocities committed by Hamas murderers on October 7."
"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. 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," the Israeli government added.
It further said that Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without António Guterres.
The reaction comes a day after Iran launched over 200 missiles into Israel to avenge the killing of top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, escalating the conflict in the Middle-east.
However, Germany said that Israel’s decision to bar Antonio Guterres from entering the country is unhelpful.
German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer acknowledged those tensions but said that Israel’s move “isn’t particularly helpful, because in the end more talks are needed and not fewer talks.”
The Israeli military, meanwhile, announced its first combat death since launching ground operations in Lebanon this week.
