Israel has officially banned United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country, following what Israeli officials describe as his failure to condemn Iran’s missile attack on Israel. The ban was announced by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz through a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
This decision comes in the wake of Iran’s missile strike, allegedly in response to the deaths of significant figures, including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, and senior Iranian commander Abbas Nilforoushan. Katz expressed his outrage at Guterres for not condemning the attack and failing to label Hamas a terrorist organization, as several other countries have done.
In his statement, Katz said, “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s criminal attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil.” He further criticized Guterres for not condemning the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, which involved massacres and sexual violence.
