The Security Council supports Guterres after Israel’s decision to consider him “persona non grata”

New York – The UN Security Council affirmed its full support for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, after Israel considered him an “undesirable person” due to his failure to immediately condemn the Iranian missile attack that targeted it last Tuesday.

In a statement that did not mention Israel at all, the 15 members of the Security Council said that they stress the need for all member states of the United Nations to have a fruitful and effective relationship with the Secretary-General, and to refrain from any action that would undermine his work and the work of his organs.

The 15 countries, including the five permanent members of the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France, warned that “any resolution that does not include the Secretary-General of the United Nations or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Guterres “persona non grata,” which means banning him from entering Israel, criticizing the Secretary-General’s failure to condemn the Iranian missile attack on the Hebrew state.

Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel last Tuesday, in an attack that it said was in response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah, and the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Abbas Nilfaroushan.

Katz added, “Anyone who cannot condemn the heinous Iranian attack on Israel does not deserve to be allowed to set foot on Israeli soil,” accusing the Secretary-General of the United Nations of supporting what he called terrorists.

However, during a tense session held by the Security Council the day before yesterday, Wednesday, in which the ambassadors of Israel and Iran participated, Guterres was keen to say, “I once again strongly condemn the massive missile attack launched by Iran against Israel,” but he again criticized both sides, Israeli and Iranian, denouncing the “disgusting spiral of violence.” In an area standing on the edge of the “abyss.”