Israel Declares United Nations Chief, António Guterres, Persona Non Grata

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Israel has barred the secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, from entering the country, Foreign Minister Israel Katz said yesterday, criticising him for failing to forcefully condemn Iran’s latest missile attack.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the United Nations secretary general had not condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel in strong enough terms. For his part, Guterres said he condemned the attack.

But Katz said that Guterres had been declared persona non grata, a rare diplomatic designation that appeared to reflect broader Israeli anger at the United Nations that has increased since the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel last October.

The Israeli government has said UN officials, including Guterres, have failed to criticise attacks against Israel in strong enough terms, the New York Times reported.

“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,” Mr. Katz said in a statement on Wednesday. “Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity with or without António Guterres,” he added.

But Guterres has repeatedly condemned the attack by Hamas on October 7 and demanded that all hostages taken from Israel that day be released. He condemned an Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel in April. At the same time, he has also repeatedly called for a cease-fire in Gaza and criticised what he called the collective punishment of Palestinians in the enclave.

Hours after the Israeli statement, Guterres told an emergency session of the UN Security Council that he condemned Iran’s attack.

“As I did in relation to the Iranian attack in April — and as should have been obvious yesterday in the context of the condemnation I expressed — I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attack by Iran on Israel,” he said.

“These attacks paradoxically do nothing to support the cause of the Palestinian people or reduce their suffering,” he said.

Following the Iranian missile attack against Israel on Tuesday — which was largely thwarted — Guterres wrote in a post on social media: “I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation. This must stop. We absolutely need a cease-fire.”

It was not clear whether Katz’s statement was a direct response to that post by Guterres.

The Israeli government, which had previously called on Guterres to resign, has also said that the main UN agency that aids Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, UNRWA, employs many people who are linked to Hamas and other militant groups, and has called for the agency to be disbanded.

The United States and other governments have condemned Iran for the attack on Tuesday — which Tehran said was in retaliation for the assassinations of leaders of its proxy groups Hamas and Hezbollah — and said they would stand by Israel.

The Security Council was holding an emergency meeting to discuss the attack and the threat of a wider Middle East war.

 Iran had Tuesday launched dozens of missiles toward Israel in what it said was a response to the killing of Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and others.

CNN teams on the ground in multiple locations across Israel observed dozens of missiles flying above them. Some were intercepted by Israel’s air defences, although it is not clear how many. Sirens sounded across the country, according to a statement from Israel’s military.

Israel’s military said its initial estimate was that Iran fired 180 “projectiles” at the country. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said there were no injuries following the attack, adding this was not the first time Israel had faced a threat from Iran. “We are ready for them,” he said.

“There was a serious attack on us and there will be serious consequences,” Hagari said in a briefing.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted Israel in response to the killing of Nasrallah and others, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

After the attack subsided, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Iran “made a big mistake tonight, and will pay for it”.

Speaking at the opening of a cabinet meeting, the Israeli PM said Iran “does not understand” his country’s “determination to retaliate” against its enemies.

“They will understand,” he said. “We will stand by the rule we established: whoever attacks us – we will attack,”  he reiterated