The 74-year-old Portuguese has been criticized by Israel for some time. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen recently denied him eligibility for the position. “Guterres does not deserve to be at the head of the United Nations,” said Cohen. “Guterres, like all free nations, should say clearly and loudly: ‘Liberate Gaza from Hamas,’” Cohen said. The UN Secretary General is not taking a decisive enough stance against Hamas terror. “He has not yet promoted any peace process in the Middle East region.”
In particular, Guterres’ statement that the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 “did not occur in a vacuum” drew harsh criticism from Israeli politicians. The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, then spoke of a “pure-blooded libel” by Guterres and called for his resignation. Foreign Minister Cohen canceled a meeting with the UN chief.
UN Secretary General criticizes Israel
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks, among other things, about Israel’s criticism after showing understanding for the Palestinians.
On Thursday, the UN Secretary-General repeated on ZIB2 that his statement had been distorted. “Because what I said was that the Palestinian people are suffering. And no one can deny that the Palestinian people are suffering after 56 years of occupation, with the construction of settlements and the lack of hope for a Palestinian State.”
“Barbaric acts by Hamas”
At the same time, the United Nations diplomat emphasized that these complaints “can never justify the barbaric acts of Hamas”. “I will never forget the photos I saw,” said Guterres. However, Hamas’ “horrible things” do not justify collective punishment of the Palestinian people. According to experts, collective punishment of the civilian population is prohibited. Guterres: “We must be able to separate Hamas from the Palestinian people.”
AP/Hatem Ali According to the UN, the supply situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic
Once again, the UN Secretary General emphasized that there were “some actors, especially Israelis”, who completely distorted his words. They claimed that he did not condemn the radical Islamist Hamas and tried to justify his terrorist acts based on the complaints. This is not true, he did exactly the opposite, continued Guterres.
However, the Portuguese reiterated their opinion that the attack did not “happen in a vacuum”. This is a phrase he often uses for “many purposes”. “There is no vacuum anywhere. And that’s why it’s important to understand things, but one is to understand, the other is to justify,” said Guterres. The situation in the Middle East must be understood in its entirety. But neither the “horrible acts of Hamas” nor collective punishment of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip can be justified.
Guterres: UN must defend principles
According to Guterres, the situation in the Middle East is currently even worse because there is “absolutely no agreement” between Israel and “other countries”. The UN must stick to the middle path, he said, even if that does not satisfy either party. “But that doesn’t matter, we have to stick to the values that the UN created, the values of the Charter and the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” said Guterres. If human rights are violated, it must be reported.
The UN must stay the course and defend its principles. However, this is difficult for those involved in the conflict and the emotions of the conflict to understand. “But it is our duty to stay the course,” said the UN chief. “I will always be accused of being biased in favor of Israel or the Palestinians when situations are as emotional as they are and we do what we think is right.”
APA/AFP/Jack Guez After the Hamas terrorist attacks, the Israeli army launched a counterattack
According to Guterres, after the war, Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority must be strengthened again to fill the gap in Gaza. However, a transition period will be necessary in which several “instances” create the conditions for the Palestinian Authority to assume responsibility in Gaza. The US could set the tone here, with the support of the UN. After that, negotiations on the two-state solution, which has already been lost sight of, would be necessary again. This is the only way, says Guterres.
Hopes for a hostage deal
Meanwhile, 40 days after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, a hostage deal appears to be in the works. There is said to be talk of releasing at least 50 people in exchange for a ceasefire. In the US, President Joe Biden said he was “a little hopeful” about the release of the hostages. In an unexpectedly unified vote, the UN Security Council urged Israel to maintain multi-day ceasefires.
The release of at least 50 women and children and a three- to five-day ceasefire are being discussed, a person familiar with the negotiations told DPA on Thursday. Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip murdered around 1,200 people in Israel in the October 7 attack. At the same time, around 240 people were taken hostage. Israel then began airstrikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in late October. According to Palestinian information, more than ten thousand people were killed.
Israel: body of hostage recovered
According to the UN, the supply situation is catastrophic. Israel is also under international pressure for the way it has conducted the war – especially since the attack on the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa Hospital. Israel said it discovered weapons, computers and military equipment there. Warzone information can rarely be independently verified.
Furthermore, a tunnel was discovered on the premises of Al-Shifa Hospital. The military released a video purporting to show the well between the buildings. A booby-trapped vehicle containing a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and handcuffs was also discovered at the scene, he said.
Israeli forces also said they recovered the body of a hostage in a building adjacent to Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip. The dead woman was reportedly brought to Israel and identified there. She was kidnapped from the Israeli border town of Be’eri on October 7, during the Hamas massacre.