UN Secretary-General António Guterres was once again harshly attacked by Israel for his opinion on the Gaza war. Yesterday, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen denied him eligibility for the position. “Guterres does not deserve to be at the head of the United Nations,” Cohen said at a press conference in Geneva. “Guterres, like all free nations, should say clearly and loudly: ‘Liberate Gaza from Hamas,’” Cohen said.
The 74-year-old did not take a sufficiently decisive stance against the terror of radical Islamist Hamas, the Israeli Foreign Minister concluded. “He has not yet promoted any peace process in the Middle East region.”
Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” about the situation in Gaza
Guterres said yesterday that he was “deeply concerned” about the situation in hospitals in the Gaza Strip. He reported from New York that they recorded dramatic loss of life. “In the name of humanity, the Secretary-General calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” he said in a statement.
There is fierce fighting between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian extremists near hospitals in the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, Palestinians claim that attacks on clinical infrastructure and lack of fuel have cost the lives of several patients, including newborns. Israel denies attacking health facilities. The information cannot be independently verified.
Israeli ambassador to the UN canceled meeting
Three weeks ago, statements by the UN Secretary General about the war between Israel and the radical Islamist Hamas led to angry reactions from Cohen and the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan.
At the time, Guterres strongly condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, but at the same time highlighted that it did not occur “in a vacuum” – Palestinians suffered under “suffocating occupation” for 56 years.
The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, then spoke of a “pure-blooded libel” by Guterres and called for his resignation. Cohen, then in New York, canceled a planned meeting with the Secretary General. He expressed “shock” at the “distorted representation” of his statements. He was in no way justifying “Hamas terrorist attacks.”