After this, a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was held on Wednesday. Iran’s unprecedented attack On Israel, but the meeting was overshadowed by Israel’s announcement that it had imposed sanctions on the UN Secretary General for failing to condemn Iran.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said of the decision to declare UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata, “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel has no right to step on Israeli soil.” Is not entitled to.”
Katz argued, “This is an anti-Israel secretary general who supports terrorists, rapists and murderers.” “Guterres will be remembered as a stain on the history of the United Nations for generations to come.”
Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday Death of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah And after the Israel Defense Forces launched concentrated incursions into Lebanon to attack the terrorist group.
Israel urges UN to condemn Iran after latest attacks
Guterres issued a brief statement on Tuesday after Iran’s attack, calling it “the latest attack in the Middle East” and broadly condemning the conflict as “escalation after escalation.”
He also criticized Israel for its actions in Gaza and the West Bank and claimed that Israel had “Held in Gaza The deadliest and most destructive military operation in my years.”
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a meeting of the Security Council at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 27, 2024. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)
“The suffering endured by the Palestinian people in Gaza is beyond imagination,” Guterres said. “At the same time, due to Israeli military operations, the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continues to deteriorate.”
“Progressive increase in settlement construction, evictions, land grabs and settler attacks weaken any possibility of a two-state solutionAnd at the same time, armed Palestinian groups have also used violence,” he said.
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Israel criticized Guterres for failing to “unequivocally” condemn Iran’s attack or mention Iran by name when discussing the attack. Israel responded with a persona non grata declaration, effectively banning him from entering its borders.
Katz said, “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil.”
Foreign Minister Israel Katz awaits a meeting with his British and French counterparts, amid clashes between Israel and Hamas in Jerusalem on August 16, 2024. (Reuters/Florian Goga)
Katz added, “This is a Secretary-General who has yet to condemn the massacres and sexual atrocities committed by Hamas’ murderers on October 7 and has not led a resolution to declare them a terrorist organization.”
“A Secretary General who provides support to the terrorists, rapists and murderers of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and now Iran, mother of global terrorIt will be remembered as a stain on the history of the United Nations for generations to come.” With or without Antonio Guterres, Israel will continue to protect its citizens and preserve its national dignity, he said. ”
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And while it took almost a day to condemn Iran after the attacks, Guterres got the message, telling council members: “As I did with respect to the Iranian attack in April – and as with respect to yesterday “I should have been clear about the condemnation I expressed – I once again strongly condemn the major missile attack by Iran on Israel yesterday.”
Israel’s decision to impose sanctions on Guterres angered Algeria, which was the first to express “sincere gratitude…solidarity, appreciation and support for the Secretary-General”.
Algeria’s representative said, “This decision shows clear contempt for the United Nations system and the entire international community.” “For Israeli officials, no narrative or truth exists other than their own.”
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks at a Security Council meeting following a ballistic missile attack on Israel at the UN Headquarters in New York City on October 2, 2024. (Reuters/Stephanie Spindell)
However, some permanent members of the council expressed clear support for Israel and condemned Iran for the attack, while urging Tehran to stop supporting terrorism through its proxy forces.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield “unequivocally” condemned Iran’s attack and called for further sanctions against Tehran. He also explicitly held Iran responsible for the October 7 attack on Israel, arguing that “Iran was complicit through its funding, training, capabilities, and support for Hamas’s military wing.”
“Following Hamas’s devastating attack almost a year ago today, the United States sent a clear message to Iran: Do not exploit the situation in a way that risks pushing the region into broader war,” Thomas-Greenfield said. ”
“The IRGC ignored this warning by openly and repeatedly encouraging Enabling the Houthis in Yemen “To disrupt global shipping and launch attacks against Israel by supporting terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq,” he continued.
The United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting following the ballistic missile attack on Israel on October 2, 2024. (Reuters/Stephanie Spindell)
He said, “Iran’s stated intention was to avenge the deaths of two IRGC-backed terrorist leaders and an IRGC commander by causing significant damage and deaths in Israel.” “Thankfully, and through close coordination between the United States and Israel, Iran failed to achieve its objectives.”
He stressed, “This outcome does not diminish the fact that this attack, which caused significant death and destruction, marked a significant escalation by Iran.”
The United Kingdom also condemned Iran’s attack and expressed “full support” for Israel “in exercising its right to defend itself against Iranian aggression.”
France urged Iran to “refrain from any actions that could lead to additional instability,” and went further to condemn “the attack targeting civilians in Jaffa.”
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“The civilian population is the first victim of this terrible situation,” the French representative said. “The situation is serious.”
Iran ultimately presented its case to the council, arguing that the Security Council “remains paralyzed by the obstruction of the United States” and that permanent members France and the United Kingdom were forced to act as “serious supporters” of Israel. who “attempt to justify Israel’s heinous crimes under the guise of self-defense, placing the blame on Iran.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
