Israel declares UN Secretary-General Guterres PERSONA NON GRATA
By ramontomeydw // 2024-10-07
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Israel has declared United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata, effectively banning him from entering the country. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz made the announcement on Oct. 2, rebuking the UN head for failing to "unequivocally" condemn Iran for its unprecedented missile attack the previous day. Tehran's Oct. 1 attack targeted military and civilian sites across Israel and forced 10 million people to evacuate to bomb shelters, according to the Epoch Times. "Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," Katz wrote on X. Gilad Erdan, Israel's permanent representative to the UN, echoed his colleague's criticisms and called for Guterres to step down. Katz also zeroed in on Guterres' alleged refusal to condemn the Oct. 7, 2023 Al-Aqsa Flood terror attack by Hamas that killed 1,200. The minister likewise slammed the UN head for not pushing to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. "Relations between Israel and the UN have worsened throughout the ongoing Middle East war, which reignited after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and is about to enter its second year," the Epoch Times continued. "While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expands his war objectives beyond eliminating Hamas in Gaza to include defeating Hezbollah in Lebanon, Guterres has persistently called for a ceasefire." The UN secretary-general's level-headed approach did not sit well with Katz. The Israeli official took issue with the organization's repeated calls for a ceasefire as Tel Aviv achieves military successes on all fronts. In his Oct. 2 post, Katz accused Guterres of backing Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran – something the foreign minister called "the mothership of global terror."

Guterres wants a Palestinian state to exist alongside Israel

On the same day as Katz's declaration, Reuters reported that Guterres had told the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Oct. 2 that he strongly condemned Iran's attack on Israel. The UNSC also convened an emergency meeting on that day to address the escalating conflict. The Epoch Times continued that aside from calling for all sides to embrace a ceasefire, "Guterres has also been pressing for international pressure on Israel to embrace a two-state solution that envisions a Palestinian state existing alongside Israel." But such an idea does not sit well with Netanyahu. Guterres said he was "gravely alarmed" by the escalating situation and "the large number of civilian casualties" amid the spread of Israel's military offensive into Lebanon and its targeted airstrikes on Hezbollah's stronghold in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut. The UN secretary-general also issued calls to remain calm following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a Sept. 27 airstrike by Israel. Guterres urged all sides to "step back from the brink," warning that the Middle East "cannot afford an all-out war." Iran fired more than 180 missiles toward Israel's direction on Oct. 1 in response to the deaths of the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah. While the missile strike was expected to be deadlier than the combined missile-and-drone strike from Tehran in April, the Oct. 1 attack caused zero casualties. (Related: Iran blasts Israel with 180 ballistic missiles; Israel preparing to STRIKE BACK.) The U.S. Department of Defense said Israel was able to intercept the majority of incoming missiles with the help of two U.S. Navy destroyers. The rest that made it through Israel's Iron Dome air defense system and landed on Israeli soil caused "minimal damage on the ground." Israel vowed swift retaliation following Iran's Oct. 1 attack, with Netanyahu warning that Tehran "made a grave mistake" and will "pay for the assault." Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, echoed a similar warning in an Oct. 1 TV broadcast following the attack. "We are on high alert both defensively and offensively. We will defend the citizens of the state of Israel," said Hagari. "This attack will have consequences. We have plans and will operate at the place and time we decide." Visit Fallout.news for more stories about the growing conflict in the Middle East. Watch Scott Ritter discussing Iran's Oct. 1 attack on Israel in the clip below. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

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