Israel Declares UN Secretary-General Guterres 'Persona Non Grata'

Israel has declared United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata and barred him from entering the country, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday via X/Twitter. The decision came in response to what Katz described as Guterres’s failure to unequivocally condemn Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel.

“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. He further criticized Guterres for not denouncing Hamas’s use of sexual violence or condemning the group’s October 7 massacre, which is nearing its first anniversary.

Katz’s statement also accused Guterres of offering tacit support to terrorist organizations, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran-backed militias like the Houthis. “A Secretary-General who gives backing to terrorists, rapists, and murderers…will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN,” Katz stated.

The move follows Guterres’s call for a ceasefire after Israel’s incursion into southern Lebanon on Monday, as well as his expression of concern about an escalation in the region. However, his statements did not specifically mention Israel, a fact that further inflamed Israeli officials.

Ongoing Tensions with the UN

Israel’s discontent with Guterres and the UN has been escalating over recent months. In April, the UN omitted Hamas from its blacklist of entities guilty of sexual violence, citing a lack of credible evidence. The decision, made as part of a broader annual report on sexual violence by the Secretary-General, outraged Israeli officials.

In response, Foreign Minister Katz publicly criticized Guterres, stating that he was “disgusted” by the report and accusing the Secretary-General of turning the UN into “an extremely antisemitic and anti-Israel institution.”

“Guterres has turned the UN into an extremely antisemitic and anti-Israel institution during his tenure, which will be remembered as the darkest in the organization’s history,” Katz said.

As tensions continue to rise, Israel remains committed to defending its citizens and maintaining its national dignity, regardless of Guterres’s stance.

Share this story and subscribe to our newsletter for further updates on Israel's diplomatic and security developments.