Israel’s Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, declared UN Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata and banned him from entering Israel. This move followed remarks by Guterres that were seen as insufficiently critical of Iran’s involvement in recent events and for failing to strongly denounce Hamas’ attacks on Israel. Cohen criticized Guterres for not unequivocally condemning Iran’s attacks and accused him of not adequately addressing the atrocities committed by Hamas. The Israeli government saw these statements as reflective of a broader bias within the UN.
The tipping point came after Guterres suggested that Hamas’ actions did not occur “in a vacuum” and referenced the long-term occupation and suffering of the Palestinian people. Despite his condemnation of the October 7 attacks by Hamas, Israel found his remarks unacceptable, interpreting them as downplaying the severity of the terrorist attacks and their impact on Israeli civilians (Jewish News)(LBCIV7).