UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres found himself embroiled in a contentious dispute with Israel on Wednesday, expressing shock over what he termed as the Israeli government’s misrepresentation of his statements to the UN. Israel has called for Guterres’s resignation, accusing him of endorsing Hamas attacks on October 7 and labeling the accusations a “blood libel.” In response, Israel announced the withdrawal of travel visas for UN officials, including UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Griffiths.
Tensions escalated as Guterres insisted that his remarks had been distorted to imply justification for the Hamas attacks. Israel, angered by Guterres’s assertion that the attacks were not isolated but rooted in decades of occupation, further accused the UN chief of accusing Israel of clear violations of humanitarian law in Gaza. Guterres had emphasized the urgent need for a humanitarian ceasefire, a stance the U.S. was reportedly close to accepting, although using the term “humanitarian pause.”
As the UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, warned of imminent closure of operations in Gaza due to Israel’s fuel blockade, Israel pledged to prevent UN officials from entering the country as a response. Reports also suggested U.S. pressure on Israel to delay a ground invasion, with French President Emmanuel Macron cautioning against such a move.
In a press statement in New York, Guterres, visibly upset, clarified that his remarks had explicitly stated that Palestinian grievances could not justify the “appalling attacks” by Hamas. He rebuffed the criticism, stating, “I am shocked by the misrepresentations… as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas. This is false. It was the opposite.” Guterres underscored that while acknowledging the context of Palestinian grievances, he had unequivocally condemned both the attacks by Hamas and the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. The rift between Guterres and Israeli officials underscores the complexity of the geopolitical landscape and the challenges in navigating sensitive diplomatic issues within the region.”
