The Israeli UN ambassador calls for the resignation of the Secretary General
During the meeting this Tuesday (24) at United Nations Security CouncilThe Israeli ambassador called for the resignation of the organization’s secretary general because he stated that Hamas’ terrorist attacks in Israel were not accidental. António Guterres’ sentence caused outrage.
The first speaker was the Secretary General of United Nations.
“The situation in the Middle East is becoming more untenable with every passing hour. I am deeply concerned by the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we have seen in Gaza. I will be clear: no side in an armed conflict is above humanitarian law,” Guterres said.
“It is also important to recognize that Hamas’ attacks were not accidental. The Palestinian people have been subjected to oppressive occupation for 56 years. But the grievances of the Palestinian people do not justify Hamas’ terrible attacks, and these terrible attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” he said.
After speeches from other UN representatives, it was now the turn of the Palestinian Foreign Minister.
“We are here to stop the massacre being carried out against the Palestinian people,” Riad alMaliki said.
Shortly afterwards it was the turn of the Israeli Chancellor. Eli Cohen opened his speech by criticizing the UN Secretary General.
“Mr Secretary General, what world do you live in? Definitely not in our world. This massacre will go down in history as more brutal than that of the Islamic State. Hamas men are the new Nazis. Just as the Western world came together to defeat the Islamic State, the civilized world must support Israel in defeating Hamas,” he said.
The Israeli minister then showed an audio recording released by the Defense Ministry. He said the recording was made by a Hamas terrorist who called one of the victims’ home on the cell phone. In the call, the terrorist tells his father that he is in Kitbutz Mefalsim and that he has killed ten Jews with his own hands. Cohen also spoke about Israel’s right to defend itself.
“I hear calls for the proportionality of our response. We have also heard calls for a ceasefire. Tell me, what is the proportionate response to the murder of babies, the rape and burning of women, the beheading of a child? How can you agree to a truce with someone who has sworn to kill and destroy your existence? How?” asked Eli Cohen.
The Israeli minister would have a bilateral meeting with the UN Secretary General this Tuesday afternoon (24), but cancelled after António Guterres’ speech.
Hours later, in the corridors of the UN building, accompanied by relatives of some of the more than 200 hostages held by Hamas, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations called for the resignation of SecretaryGeneral António Guterres for saying that the terrorist attack did not happen by chance.
“I think the secretary general must resign. Unless he apologizes immediately. This building exists to prevent atrocities. How can the SecretaryGeneral use his words to in any way justify the terrible atrocities committed against civilians? “Innocent.” Civilians,” asked Gilad Erdan.
In the Security Council, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira continued the meeting. He said the body had not been able to pass a single resolution on the Middle East since 2016.
“This council must rise to the challenge ahead. We will likely be judged and found guilty by future generations for our inaction and complacency,” he said in English.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the American proposed resolution that is being discussed in the Security Council. Like the Brazilian text vetoed by the Americans last week, the proposal speaks of a humanitarian pause on aid imports into Gaza, but adds Israel’s right to defend itself. Blinken questioned the council’s stance on the terrorist attacks on Israel.
“Where is the outrage? Where is the repulsion? Where is the rejection? Where is the explicit condemnation of these horrors? We must reaffirm the right of every nation to defend itself and prevent such horrors from happening again,” he said.
The other proposed resolution comes from the Russian government and calls for an immediate ceasefire, according to Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia, who criticized the American text for not calling for this.
A total of 86 countries have registered to speak at this Tuesday’s meeting (24). However, the vote on the two texts of the proposed resolutions is not yet scheduled.