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Israel’s foreign minister said Wednesday that United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is “persona non grata in Israel” and barred him from entering the country after the U.N. chief issued a brief statement condemning all escalatory military actions in the Middle East.
In a social media post, Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz accused Guterres of failing to “unequivocally condemn” the retaliatory attack that Iran launched against Israel on Tuesday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said some of its air bases were damaged by Iranian missiles, but no civilian deaths were reported.
Israel is expected to launch a “significant retaliation” in the coming days as it continues to bombard Gaza and Lebanon, driving the region toward all-out war.
Guterres’ statement in the wake of the Iranian attack denounced the “broadening of the Middle East conflict” and called for a cease-fire agreement — something Israel’s government, led by far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has repeatedly obstructed.
In his post Wednesday, Katz falsely claimed Guterres has “yet to denounce” the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel. In fact, Guterres issued a statement on October 7 condemning “in the strongest terms” the “attack by Hamas against Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip and central Israel.”
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said Katz’s move shows that “Israel relishes in being a pariah state.”
“How is this good for Israel’s long-term security?” Parsi asked. “Why is the United States, Israel’s closest friend, helping rather than stopping Israel from moving in this destructive direction?”
Palestinian physician and politician Mustafa Barghouti said following Katz’s announcement that “there is no limit to the arrogance and reckless behavior of the Israeli government.”
Barring Guterres from entering the country marks Israel’s latest attack on the U.N., whose workers and facilities in Gaza have been targeted repeatedly by Israeli forces over the past year.
A leaked report obtained in July by Drop Site estimated that the Israeli military had killed at least 366 U.N. staffers and family members in Gaza since October 7.
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