A spokesperson for the United Nations says the world body regards Israel’s entry ban on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as a “political statement.”
The spokesperson made the remark on Wednesday after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Guterres persona non grata and barred him from entering the country in a social media post. Katz accused Guterres of failing to unequivocally condemn Iran’s attack on Israel.
The spokesperson told reporters there have been extremely intense situations between the secretary-general and delegates of member states, but he does not recall this kind of language being used.
The spokesperson also said the UN is maintaining contact with Israel at operational levels.
He also referred to a series of incidents in East Jerusalem, where UN offices were set on fire in May by Israelis.
The spokesperson urged the Israeli government to continue to fulfill its responsibility to ensure the safety of UN personnel in the Gaza Strip and other regions.