October 02, (THEWILL) – Israel has declared United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, persona non grata.
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, announced on Wednesday, following Guterres’ response to recent hostilities in the Middle East.
Iran, on Tuesday, fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel in what Iranian Revolutionary Guards said was in response to the killing of Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah, last week, as well as that of the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh
While world leaders swiftly condemned the attack, Guterres called for de-escalation without explicitly denouncing Iran’s actions, which sparked outrage in Israel.
“I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation. This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire”, Guterres wrote in his statement.
However, Israel criticised Guterres’ failure to specifically condemn Iran’s missile assault.
“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel… does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil. A Secretary-General who gives backing to terrorists, rapists, and murderers… will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN”, he said.
