Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announces a ban on United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres from entering Israel, accusing him of supporting Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran.
Reason for the Ban:
Israel claims the ban was due to Mr. Guterres not "unequivocally condemning" Iran’s missile strikes on Israel earlier in the week and failing to denounce Hamas's October 7 terror attack last year, which resulted in 1,200 Israeli deaths and 250 hostages.
Israel considers the UNSG's response insufficient, despite previous condemnations by Mr. Guterres and the UN.
UNSG’s Response:
Mr. Guterres clarified a day after the ban that he "strongly condemned" the recent missile attack by Iran on Israel.
Despite this, Israel has not lifted the ban.
Israel-UN Tensions:
Israel argues the UN is biased against it, driven by an "anti-Israel" bloc of Arab and Islamic nations.
The UN has been critical of Israeli actions in Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians have died, including 15,000 minors, and over 135 UN personnel have been killed.
Previous Bans:
Israel has banned other UN officials before, accusing them of bias, including UN Special Rapporteurs and then-UN Under-Secretary General Martin Griffiths in 2023.
Former Indian Permanent Representative to the UN, Asoke Mukerji, called the ban "unprecedented," noting a similar case in 1950 when the USSR accused UNSG Trygve Lie of bias on the Korean crisis.
International Reaction:
The UN Security Council criticized the ban, calling it "counterproductive."
The U.S. State Department and India’s Ministry of External Affairs also disapproved of Israel's decision.
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