Israel has imposed a ban on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, prohibiting his entry into the country and declaring him ‘persona non grata’. The Israeli authorities, on Wednesday, announced that Guterres would no longer receive diplomatic privileges typically afforded to his position, stating that he will “be remembered as a stain on the history of the United Nations.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on social media, “Today I declare UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata and prohibit his entry into Israel. Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s abhorrent attacks on Israel, which most of the world has, cannot set foot on Israeli soil.”
Israel accuses Guterres of failing to condemn the Hamas attacks on October 7 that resulted in massacres and atrocities in Israel and has not taken steps to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Despite the ban, Guterres had previously stated, “I unequivocally condemn the horrific and unprecedented attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7. There is no justification for the indiscriminate killing and wounding of civilians and taking hostages. All hostages must be treated humanely and released unconditionally.”
However, Guterres also noted, “It is important to recognize that the Hamas attacks did not come out of nowhere. The people of Palestine have been living under suffocating Israeli occupation for 56 years.” This statement has angered many Israelis.
Last month, a resolution calling for an end to nearly six decades of Israeli occupation in the West Bank was adopted by the UN General Assembly with overwhelming global support.