Israel Gov announced that it will ban United Nations officials from entering the country in protest of the UN secretary-general’s comments on the recent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The decision came after Antonio Guterres said, “It is also important to recognise the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum,” and that the Palestinian people have been living under “suffocating occupation” for 56 years.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said on Wednesday that Israel will refuse to issue visas to UN representatives, and that it has already denied a visa to Martin Griffiths, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs. Erdan said that Guterres’s remarks were “blood libel” and that he should resign. He also promised to “teach United Nations a lesson” for their bias against Israel.
Guterres made his comments on Tuesday at a UN Security Council debate on the Middle East, where he also condemned the Hamas attacks as “horrific” and “appalling”.
He said that nothing can justify the killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians, or the launching of rockets against civilian targets. He also called for the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
However, he also criticized Israel for its actions in Gaza, saying that they amounted to “collective punishment of the Palestinian people” and “clear violations of international humanitarian law”. He said that Israel’s order to evacuate civilians from the north to the south of Gaza was “unacceptable” and that it caused “unnecessary suffering and displacement”. He urged Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza and allow humanitarian access.
Guterres also remarked that the root causes of the conflict should also be addressed, emphasizing that a two-state solution based on international law and UN resolutions is the only way to achieve lasting peace and security in the region.
Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, who was present at the debate, expressed his outrage at Guterres’s speech and cancelled a scheduled meeting with him. He said that Guterres was “ignoring reality” and “giving legitimacy to terrorism”. He said that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, which he described as a “terrorist organization” that seeks to destroy Israel.
The US, Israel’s main ally, also vetoed a resolution proposed by Brazil at the Security Council that called for a humanitarian pause in Gaza. The US has drafted its own resolution that reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense and calls for voluntary movement of people within Gaza.
The war between Israel and Hamas erupted on October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel with rockets and drones, killing few Israeli civilians. Israel responded with airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza, targeting Hamas militants and public infrastructure.
