It is a political statement, rather than a legal one.the spokesperson of the world organization reviews // Tehran and Tel Aviv exchange accusations in the Security Council
▲ Palestinians injured in an Israeli bombing in Khan Younis comfort themselves at the funeral of relatives who were killed.Photo Afp
AFP, Reuters, Prensa Latina, Xinhua and Sputnik
La Jornada Newspaper
Thursday, October 3, 2024, p. 25
Jerusalem. Israel declared yesterday persona non grata to the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, whom he accused of not condemning unequivocally Iran’s ballistic attack on Israeli territory the day before, in a decision that the United States considered nothing productive.
Anyone unable to unequivocally condemn Iran’s hateful attack on Israel does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil. This Secretary General supports terrorists, rapists and murdererssaid Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
Guterres, who supports the murderers of Hamas, to Hezbollah, to the Houthis, and now to Iran, the mother of global terrorism, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN for generations to comeKatz emphasized.
In response, Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres’ spokesperson, commented: It is just one more attack, so to speak, on UN staff by the Israeli government.and stressed that the world body does not recognize that the concept of persona non grata can be applied to your staff. We see this announcement as a political statement rather than a legal one.considered.
Following Iran’s attack on Israel with nearly 200 missiles on Tuesday night, Guterres condemned the expansion of the conflict in the Middle Eastand the dynamics of climb after climb. This has to stop. We need a ceasefire.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller commented that It is important that Israel can collaborate with the UNand warned: We do not see that this declaration is productive.
In this context, Israel and Iran exchanged accusations at the UN Security Council, where Guterres demanded: “this deadly cycle of ‘eye for an eye’ violence must end. “Time is running out.”
In turn, Tel Aviv’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, commented: Israel will defend itself. And let me assure you that the consequences Iran will face for its actions will be far greater than it imagines..
The Iranian representative, Amir Saied Iravani, explained that Tuesday’s missile attack had been to restore balance and deterrence. He added that further escalation could be avoided if Israel stops the war in Gaza and attacks on Lebanon.
The United States ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, reiterated before the Council that her country’s support for Israel was defensive.
Russian ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia praised Iran for its exceptional moderation in recent months and noted that the missile attack against Israel could not present themselves as if all this had happened in a vacuum, as if nothing was happening in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria and Yemen.
The Frenchman Nicolas de Riviere advocated that the Security Council show unity and speak with one voice to lower the tension.
Israel and the United States called for sanctions against Iran.
The United Nations Human Rights Office asserted that the alarming levels of violence in the last year in the reoccupied West Bank aggravate violations of the guarantees of Palestinians and affect their security and freedom of movement.