United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has been banned from entering Israel due to his response to Iran’s missile attacks.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz labeled Guterres as an “anti-Israel secretary-general who supports terrorists.” Katz declared Guterres persona non grata, stating that anyone who cannot “unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil.”
He specifically criticized Guterres for his stance on Israel since the outbreak of the war. After Iran launched approximately 180 missiles into Israel, Guterres condemned the escalation of conflict in the region and called for a ceasefire, but did not mention the Iranian attacks directly.
This missile strike is part of a series of escalations that began nearly a year ago with attacks from Hamas, and has recently included increased fighting between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel. In response to an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages, Israel initiated a military campaign in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, this campaign has resulted in a total of 41,689 deaths.
Throughout the conflict, there have been ongoing tensions between Israel and the UN regarding the situations in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as the operations of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). In January, Israel accused some UNRWA staff members of involvement in the October 7 attacks, prompting an investigation that led to the dismissal of nine staff members over potential connections to the assaults. UNRWA has also criticized Israeli air strikes in Gaza that have resulted in the deaths of its staff.
