Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, denied allegations by Israel on Wednesday that he had defended assaults on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas in a statement to the Security Council.
Some of my statements have been misrepresented, as though I were endorsing Hamas’ terrorist activities. It’s untrue. Without mentioning Israel by name, he told reporters, “It was the exact opposite.”
Concerning “clear violations of international humanitarian law” in the Gaza Strip, Guterres urged on Tuesday for the protection of civilians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Before the fifteen-member U.N. Security Council, he stated that it was imperative to make it plain that there are laws governing war, beginning with the fundamental one of respecting and defending people.
It is imperative to acknowledge that the assaults carried out by Hamas were not isolated incidents. According to Guterres, the oppressive occupation of the Palestinian people has lasted for 56 years.
However, the Palestinian people’s difficulties cannot excuse Hamas’ heinous actions. Furthermore, he declared that those heinous crimes could not justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
As Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said he would not be meeting with Guterres on Tuesday as scheduled, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan termed Guterres’ comments “shocking” and demanded that he step down immediately.
Rather, Guterres visited with relatives of the hostages being held in Gaza. Recalling that he “condemned unequivocally” the Oct. 7 Hamas assault that claimed 1,400 lives, Guterres said on Wednesday that “nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring, and kidnapping of civilians—or the launching of rockets against civilian targets.”
He referred to his remark on Wednesday when he added, “I think it’s important to clear the record, especially in honor of the victims and their families.”
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