2023-10-25 12:14:27
The Israeli authorities announced this Wednesday, October 25, that they will deny the delivery of visas to representatives of the United Nations following the latest statements by the organization’s secretary general, António Guterres, who said on Tuesday that the “horrible” attacks carried out on October 7 October by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) “did not come out of nowhere,” words harshly criticized from Tel Aviv.
“Due to his words, we will not give visas to UN representatives,” said Israel’s permanent representative to the organization, Gilad Erdan, who confirmed that this decision has already been adopted in the case of the Deputy Secretary General for Affairs. United Nations Humanitarians, Martin Griffiths.
“There is no justification”
Thus, Erdan stressed that there is no possible “justification” nor can one show “understanding” towards “the most terrible actions once morest the citizens of Israel”, taking into account that the attacks, which left nearly 1,400 dead and more than 220 kidnapped, were perpetrated by “a declared terrorist organization.”
Guterres indicated before the UN Security Council that the “horrible” attacks “did not come out of nowhere,” since “the Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,” in a context in which “their hopes for achieving a political solution fades away.”
Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations Gilad Erdan addresses the press regarding the situation in the Middle East at the United Nations Headquarters while accompanied by relatives of people abducted by Hamas on October 24, 2023 in the city from New York. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images) | Photo: 2023 Getty Images
For its part, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry has stated that Israeli criticism once morest Guterres is “an extension of the lack of respect” of the Israeli authorities towards the international organization. Likewise, he has indicated that the position of the Israeli authorities is “unjustified” and “premeditated.”
In this sense, he noted that this is “a new Israeli attempt to neutralize the role of the Secretary General in his legal capacity, as well as his position in relation to International Law and the United Nations Charter”, highlighting that his role and Its representatives “are well known for working to stop the open and destructive war of occupation.”
Guterres: “Hamas’ horrific attacks did not come out of nowhere”
Guterres warned that “the war in Gaza is intensifying” and might spread throughout the region, which is why he has appealed for restraint from all parties and respect for the civilian population, taking into account that “clear” violations are taking place. ” of International Law and that “even war has rules.”
Guterres gave a speech at the beginning of a meeting of the UN Security Council on the Middle East to demonstrate his concern “at a crucial moment”, condemning on the one hand the murder of civilians perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 and demanding the release “immediate” removal of the hostages and, on the other hand, recognizing that the toll of victims left by Israel in its counteroffensive on the Strip is “deeply alarming.”
Faced with the wave of criticism from Israel, he has published a message on his account on the social network has insisted that “these horrific attacks cannot justify collective punishment once morest the Palestinian people.” (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images) | Photo: 2023 Getty Images
“I will be clear: no party in an armed conflict is above International Humanitarian Law,” emphasized the head of the UN, “deeply concerned” by the information coming from the Middle East. Thus, he recalled that “protecting civilians” involves “not using them as human shields”, but also by not ordering more than a million people to evacuate the northern area of Gaza without any resources for days later to “bomb also the south” of saying.
These “grievances” – he added – cannot in any way “justify” the actions of Hamas, but these attacks should not serve as an excuse to undertake a “collective punishment” on all the inhabitants of the Strip. In this sense, he recalled that the UN facilities in Gaza house more than 600,000 displaced people and 35 from the agency for refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA) have lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict.
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