Israel declares UN Secretary-General persona non grata and bans him from entering the country: what is the reason

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has declared UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata, which means that the Portuguese diplomat cannot enter Israel. The reason was Guterres' evasive commentary published after the Iranian shelling on October 1.

The United Nations website then posted a laconic statement by the Secretary-General: "I condemn the expansion of the conflict in the Middle East with its latest escalation. It must stop. We need a ceasefire." The diplomat made no mention of Iran, which fired massive missiles at Israel that evening.

Minister Katz reacted to this and on October 2 posted on X(Twitter) that Guterres was now an undesirable person in Israel with no right of entry.

The foreign minister explained that anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's attack on Israel, as almost all countries in the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil.

Katz sharply criticized Guterres. "This is a Secretary-General who has yet to condemn the massacre and sexual atrocities committed by Hamas murderers on October 7, 2023 and has not led any efforts to declare them a terrorist organization. A Secretary-General who supports terrorists, rapists, and murderers from Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and now Iran, the birthplace of world terror, will remain a stain on the history of the UN," he wrote.

The Minister assured that the state will continue to protect its citizens and defend national dignity with or without Guterres.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

– On the evening of October 1, sirens sounded throughout Israel due to the missile attack by Iran. The Defense Forces reported that there were more than 180 enemy targets.

– The United States and Jordan helped repel the attack (including two American destroyers), but there were also air raids.

– Later, the Pentagon said that this Iranian attack was twice as large as the one in April. The United States also noted that it was coordinating with Israel on Iran's potential response.

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