The Security Council “fully” supports the UN chief, “persona non grata” in Israel
On Thursday afternoon, the UN Security Council presented its ” full “ support for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, whom Israel said “persona non grata” for not immediately condemning Iran’s attacks on Tuesday.
Without ever mentioning Israel, the five permanent members of the Council and the other ten non-permanent members “underlined the need for all Member States [de l’ONU] have a productive and functional relationship with the Secretary General and refrain from any action that undermines his work and that of his services.”.
AND “Any decision that does not involve the UN Secretary General or the United Nations is counterproductive, particularly in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East”the fifteen countries, including the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France, warned in a written statement from the Council chaired in October by Switzerland.
Relations between the UN and Israel – a state created by a UN resolution passed in 1947 – are notoriously difficult and are at their lowest point since October 7, 2023, the date of the Palestinian Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
On Wednesday, during a dagger session at the Security Council, in the presence of the ambassadors of Israel and Iran, Guterres took charge of “Condemn, once again, strongly, Iran’s massive missile attack against Israel”. However, he had sent the two enemies back to back by denouncing “The disgusting cycle” of violence in a region on the brink of “precipice”.
While the Council has been paralyzed for a decade, Guterres immediately received the support of the fifteen members, including the United States, which judges the measure of its Israeli ally. “not productive”. Same tone in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which regretted on Thursday “the unjustified, serious and counterproductive decision adopted by Israel”. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, also asked “reject attacks” against Mr. Guterres.
