United Nations (Web Desk): The United Nations (UN) has called Israel’s decision to declare UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata “one more attack on UN staff by Tel Aviv, but said that contacts at operational level will continue “because we need to”.
“We saw this announcement this morning, which we see as a political statement by the foreign minister. And just one more attack, so to speak, on UN staff that we’ve seen from the government of Israel, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question at the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.
Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Guterres persona non grata and an “anti-Israel secretary-general who lends support to terrorists”.
Meanwhile, diplomats of several countries called the Israeli move unprecedented and regrettable, saying an action of this kind has never been taken against a UN chief.
Dujarric, the UN spokesperson, welcomed the support of UN Security Council members for Guterres at a session on the Middle East.
Noting that “persona non grata” was declared by other countries previously toward other UN staff, he said that the UN does “not recognize the concept of persona non grata applies to its staff.”
“We see this announcement as a political statement, more than a legal one,” Dujarric stressed, noting that Guterres only travels to a country upon the invitation of the relevant country.
Dujarric further stated that in his 24-year career, he had never encountered such a statement.
“There have been times where there have been extremely tense situations between the secretary general and various member states, but I don’t recall this kind of language,” he added.
Seeking to justify the move, Katz, Israel’s Foreign Minister, said Guterres did not “unequivocally condemn” Iran for its missile attack Tuesday on Israel.
After the strikes, Guterres said: “I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation,” and urged an immediate cease-fire.
At the 15-member Council’s meeting, France’s UN Ambassador, Nicolas de Riviere, thanked the UN chief for his remarks made at a Security Council emergency session that was convened because of the situation in the Middle East and expressed “full support and trust of France.”
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia described Israel’s decision concerning Guterres as “unheard of” and “a slap, not just on the UN, but on all of us (Security Council).”
“We call on the members of the Security Council and the UN to react to this outrageous act,” he said.
Fu Cong from China echoed the sentiments of his colleagues and expressed Beijing’s “resolute support” for Guterres and opposition to Israel’s decision to ban the UN chief.
Malta’s envoy Vanessa Frazier stressed “continued and unwavering support” to Guterres and thanked him “for his continued leadership and moral compass whilst guiding this organization through such difficult times.”
The Deputy Ambassador of Slovenia, Ondina Blokar, hailed the work of the UN and voiced “full support” for it and Guterres.
“We appeal to Israel to reconsider today’s announcement,” said Blokar, adding that “it is high time to strengthen the role of diplomacy and to prioritize peace.”
South Korean envoy Joonkook Hwang also expressed support, and conveyed his “deep gratitude” to the secretary-general for “his tireless efforts for peace in the Middle East.”
Amar Bendjama noted Algeria’s “full solidarity admiration and support for the secretary general following the incredible decision of the Israeli occupying authorities to declare him persona non grata.”
“This decision reflects a clear disdain of the UN system and the entire international community for the Israeli authorities,” he said, adding that “no narrative, no truth exists except their own.”
Switzerland, the current president of the Security Council, expressed “full support” to Guterres, and “the UN in collaboration with other organizations is currently providing humanitarian aid to all civilians.”
Meanwhile, the US Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, significantly avoided any mention of Guterres in her remarks.
“The United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel,” she said.