Israel Bars UN Secretary -General Antonio Guterres from Entering Country in Row Over Iran

Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, announced today that UN Secretary-General António Guterres has been designated as "persona non grata," effectively barring the Portuguese diplomat from entering the country. This decision comes in response to Guterres's remarks following Iran's recent missile attack on Israel.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that Guterres's failure to mention Iran by name in his response and his lack of a clear condemnation of the attack were the primary reasons for the designation. Katz criticized Guterres's policies during the ongoing conflict, asserting that they have provided support to groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. He characterized Iran as "the mothership of global terror."

A look at Katz's statement

In a statement, Katz emphasized the seriousness of Guterres's inaction, saying, “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil.”

A quick look at the context

In the immediate aftermath of Iran's attack on Israel, the UN Secretary-General tweeted “I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation.  This must stop.  We absolutely need a ceasefire.”

This, unsurprisingly, angered the Israelis. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tweeted “You’ve gotta be kidding. You condemn ”the broadening”?!  You just aren’t able to blurt the simple words “I condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran who just shot roughly 180 deadly ballistic missiles towards the citizens of Israel.” Quit.”

The official handle of the state of Israel, also responded, by writing “We condemn your inability to string together a tweet which holds Iran responsible for firing 181 ballistic missiles at 10 million Israeli civilians.”

Katz's announcement marks a significant diplomatic rebuke, reflecting Israel's frustration with the UN's response to the escalating violence in the region. As tensions continue to rise, Israel’s government is sending a strong message about its expectations from international leaders.