DPA
Wed, October 2, 2024
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a Security Council meeting during the 79th UN General Assembly in New York. Andrea Renault/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Several countries on the UN Security Council have backed Secretary General António Guterres following fierce verbal attacks from Israel.
The ambassadors of the United Kingdom, France, Russia and South Korea among others emphasised their support for the Portuguese UN chief at an emergency meeting of the most powerful UN body.
Algerian Ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama said that Israel's decision to declare Guterres persona non grata showed "clear disdain of the UN system and the entire international community."
Israel has justified its decision by the fact that Guterres had not clearly condemned Tuesday's Iranian missile attack.
In addition, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz claimed that the UN chief had not properly condemned the Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7 last year, nor had he made any effort to declare Hamas a terrorist organization.
The secretary-general has publicly condemned the terrorist attack by Hamas many times. Declaring a group a terrorist organization requires a corresponding resolution by the UN Security Council, over which Guterres has no power.
UN chief condemns Iran attack after Israel ban
Michael Sheils McNamee - BBC News
Wed, October 2, 2024
[Reuters]
The Secretary General of the United Nations has condemned Iranian strikes on Israel, after earlier being banned from the country for his initial response.
Speaking to the UN Security Council, António Guterres said it was high time to stop what he called the "deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence" in the Middle East.
In an earlier statement, Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Guterres personal non grata and an "anti-Israel secretary-general who lends support to terrorists".
The comments were issued in response to Guterres initially calling for a ceasefire, but not specifically mentioning the Iran attack.
Addressing the council, the UN secretary general said he had condemned the attack in April, and "as should have been obvious yesterday in the context of the condemnation I expressed, I again strongly condemn yesterday's massive missile attack by Iran on Israel".
On Tuesday, Iran launched about 180 ballistic missiles into Israel, with Israel saying most of them were intercepted.
In a statement after the attack on social media site X, formerly Twitter, Guterres said he condemned "the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation".
Prior to Guterres remarks to the UN Security Council, Katz said in a statement that anyone who "cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil".
He specifically criticised Guterres for "his anti-Israel policy since the beginning of the war".
Tuesday's attack by Iran is the latest in a series of escalations, starting almost a year ago with attacks on Israel by Hamas, and recently involving increased fighting between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October by Hamas gunmen, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Since the attack, a military campaign in Gaza has now killed a total of 41,689 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Over the course of the conflict, there have been a number of clashes between Israel and the United Nations about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.
There has also been friction between Israel and the UN over the role of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
In January, Israel alleged that a number of the agency's staff members had been involved in the 7 October attacks.
In response to this, the agency launched an investigation - with a number of its international funders withdrawing support for it, before later reinstating it. In August, nine staff members were dismissed over potential involvement in the attacks.
During the conflict, UNRWA has criticised Israel for air strikes in Gaza which have killed its staff members.
Israel declares UN chief Guterres 'persona non grata' over Iran missile attack
RFI
Wed, October 2, 2024
Israel's foreign minister has announced thatUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been banned from entering the country because he had not 'unequivocally' condemned Iran's recent missile attack on Israel.
On Wednesday, foreign minister Israel Katz that he was barring the United Nations secretary-general from entering Israel, accusing him of being biased against the country after Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at the country.
Many were intercepted mid-air but some penetrated missile defences, but no casualties were reported.
In a brief statement in the wake of Tuesday's attack, Guterres issued a brief statement referencing only the "latest attacks in the Middle East" and condemning the conflict "with escalation after escalation".
'Persona non grata'
Earlier on Tuesday, Israel had sent troops into southern Lebanon, marking an escalation in hostilities between the Jewish state and Iran's proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah.
Katz said Guterres' failure to call out Iran made him persona non grata in Israel.
"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel – as nearly all the countries of the world have done – does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil," Katz said.
Israel bans UN secretary-general over anti-Israel actions: 'Doesn't deserve to set foot on Israeli soil'
Peter Aitken, Yonat Friling
FOX NEWS
Wed, October 2, 2024
Wed, October 2, 2024
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met on Wednesday following Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel, but overshadowing the meeting was Israel's announcement that it had banned the U.N. secretary-general due to his failure to condemn Iran.
"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said about the decision to declare U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as persona non grata.
"This is an anti-Israel secretary-general who lends support to terrorists, rapists and murderers," Katz argued. "Guterres will be remembered as a stain on the history of the U.N. for generations to come."
Iran on Tuesday fired over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel after the death of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and after the Israel Defense Forces began focused incursions into Lebanon to hit the terrorist group.
Guterres on Tuesday issued a brief statement following Iran’s attack, calling it the "latest attacks in the Middle East" and broadly condemned the conflict as "escalation after escalation."
He also slammed Israel for its actions in Gaza and the West Bank, claiming that Israel has "conducted in Gaza the most deadly and destructive military campaign in my years."
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York, Sept. 27, 2024.
"The suffering endured by the Palestinian people in Gaza is beyond imagination," Guterres said. "At the same time, the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continues to deteriorate, with Israeli military operations."
"Construction of settlements, evictions, land grabs and the intensification of settler attacks progressively undermine any possibility of a two-state solution, and simultaneously, armed Palestinian groups have also used violence," he said.
Hamas Leader Killed In Lebanon Was Un Employee, Agency Confirms
Israel blasted Guterres for failing to "unequivocally" condemn Iran’s attack or even name Iran while discussing the attack. Israel responded with the persona non grata declaration, effectively banning him from entering its borders.
"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel, as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil," Katz said.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz waits for his British and French counterparts for a meeting, amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem on Aug. 16, 2024.
"This is a secretary-general who has yet to denounce the massacre and sexual atrocities committed by Hamas murderers on Oct. 7 and has not led any resolutions to declare them a terrorist organization," Katz continued.
"A secretary-general who provides support to the terrorists, rapists and murderers of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran, the mothership of global terror, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the U.N. for generations to come," he added. "Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without António Guterres."
And while it took nearly a day following the attacks to condemn Iran, Guterres seemed to get the message, telling council members: "As I did in relation to the Iranian attack in April – and as should have been obvious yesterday in the context of the condemnation I expressed – I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attack by Iran on Israel."
Israel’s decision to ban Guterres prompted anger from Algeria, which first expressed "sincere gratitude… solidarity, admiration and support for the secretary-general."
"This decision reflects a clear disdain of the U.N. system and the entire international community," the representative from Algeria said. "For the Israeli authorities, no narrative nor truth exists except their own."
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks at the Security Council meeting, following a ballistic missile attack on Israel, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, Oct. 2, 2024.
However, some permanent members of the council expressed clear support for Israel and condemned Iran for the attack while urging Tehran to cease its support for terrorism through its proxy forces.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield "unequivocally" condemned Iran’s attack and called for further sanctions against Tehran. She also explicitly tied Iran to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, arguing that "Iran was complicit… through its funding, training, capabilities and support for the military wing of Hamas."
Israeli Military Says Regular Infantry, Armored Units Joining Limited Ground Operation In Southern Lebanon
"After Hamas's horrific attack carried out nearly a year ago today, the United States sent a clear message to Iran: Don't exploit the situation in ways that would risk propelling the region into a broader war," Thomas-Greenfield said.
"The IRGC flagrantly and repeatedly ignored this warning by encouraging and enabling the Houthis in Yemen to disrupt global shipping and launch attacks against Israel by supporting militant groups in Syria and Iraq," she continued.
The United Nations Security Council calls an emergency meeting, following a ballistic missile attack on Israel, Oct. 2, 2024.
"Iran's stated intention was to avenge the deaths of two IRGC-supported terrorist leaders and an IRGC commander by inflicting significant damage and death in Israel," she added. "Thankfully, and through close coordination between the United States and Israel, Iran failed to achieve its objectives."
"This outcome does not diminish the fact that this attack, intended to cause significant death and destruction, marked a significant escalation by Iran," she stressed.
The United Kingdom also condemned Iran’s attack and expressed "full support" for Israel "in exercising its right to defend itself against Iranian aggression."
France urged Iran to "abstain from any action that could lead to additional destabilization," going further to condemn the "attack that targeted civilians in Jaffa."
"Civilian populations are the first victims of this horrible situation," the French representative said. "The situation is serious."
Iran ultimately pleaded its case before the council, arguing that the Security Council has "remained paralyzed due to the United States obstruction" and accused permanent members France and the United Kingdom of acing as "serious enablers" of Israel who "attempt to justify Israeli heinous crimes under the guise of self-defense, shifting the blame onto Iran."
Reuters contributed to this report.
UN calls Israel's ban on its top leader a political statement in long-running rift
EDITH M. LEDERER
Wed, October 2, 2024
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Friday, Sep. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations on Wednesday called Israel’s ban on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres entering the country a political statement by its foreign minister and stressed that the world body’s contacts with Israel will continue “because they have to.”
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz deeming the U.N. chief “persona non grata” is also “one more attack on the United Nations staff that we’ve seen from the government of Israel.”
Israel’s accusations of U.N. bias and antisemitism date back decades, but the rift has intensified since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks in the country’s south killed about 1,200 people and launched the war in Gaza. Israel’s offensive against the militant group has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters but that a little more than half were women and children.
An Israeli ground incursion in Lebanon and other attacks against Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group also backed by Iran, and an Iranian missile strike against Israel on Tuesday have threatened to plunge the Middle East into all-out war. The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting Wednesday on the Middle East.
Guterres didn't respond to a question about the ban as he headed to the meeting, where he demanded a halt to the escalation of “tit-for-tat violence” that he warned is leading people in the Middle East “straight over the cliff.”
Earlier in the day, Katz accused Guterres of being biased against Israel and claimed the U.N. chief never condemned the Hamas attacks and sexual violence committed by its fighters.
Dujarric strongly disagreed, saying Guterres has condemned “over and over again the terror attacks, the acts of sexual violence and other horrors that we’ve seen.”
But the Israeli government strongly objected to the secretary-general’s phrase in his initial condemnation that said Hamas’ attack didn’t happen “in a vacuum.”
Israel also has accused staff from the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, called UNRWA — the key provider of assistance in Gaza, of being Hamas members and participating in the Oct. 7 attacks and has curtailed their activities.
The U.N.’s internal watchdog has been investigating those Israeli allegations. UNRWA said Monday that a top Hamas commander killed in Lebanon was an employee who had been suspended since allegations of his ties to the militant group emerged in March.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has accused Israel of trying to destroy its operations. The agency provides education, health care, food and other services to several million Palestinians and their families.
Guterres also has accused Israel of “collective punishment” of Palestinians in its nearly yearlong military response to the Hamas attacks in Gaza, saying he has not seen so much death and destruction during his seven years as secretary-general.
Dujarric said that in his 24 years at the U.N., there have been U.N. staff declared persona non grata by a country but that he didn’t know of a secretary-general being banned.
He stressed that the United Nations has never recognized the concept being applied to U.N. staff.
Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the practice applies to a country declaring a diplomat persona non grata — not an international organization.
“We continue our contacts with Israel at the operational level and other levels, because we need to,” Dujarric said.
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