The strain between Israel and the United Nations has reached new heights this Tuesday. The UExternal subjects minister of the Government of Binyamin Netanyahu, Eli Cohen has canceled a meeting that I had planned this Tuesday with the UN Secretary General António Guterres and has supported the Call on Guterres to “resign immediately” that had been made by its ambassador to the organization, Gilard Erdan. Furthermore, the diplomats have assured that their Government “has to reevaluate your relationship with the UN and with the organization’s officers stationed in the region.
Frictions have escalated after Guterres, at a Security Council meeting this Tuesday, said after condemning the Hamas attack of October 7th that “It is important to recognize that it did not come out of nowhere“, after what he mentioned of 56 years of occupation, settlements and violence and other problems of the Palestinians such as forced displacement or economic asphyxiation. Guterres has also shown his “deep concern” about the “clear violations of international humanitarian law.” and has called for an immediate ceasefire.
The Portuguese’s words have caused the Israeli outrage and Erdan has posted two messages on immoral” and of “show understanding for the murder of children, women and the elderly“.
The shocking speech by the @A Secretary-General at the Security Council meeting, while rockets are being fired at all of Israel, proved conclusively, beyond any doubt, that the Secretary-General is completely disconnected from the reality in our region and that he views the…
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 24, 2023
The @A Secretary-General, who shows understanding for the campaign of mass murder of children, women, and the elderly, is not fit to lead the UN.
I call on him to resign immediately.
There is no justification or point in talking to those who show compassion for the most…
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 24, 2023
Later, when Cohen and Erdan appeared before the press at the doors of the Security Council, accompanied by relatives of those kidnapped by Hamas (who did maintain the scheduled meeting with the Secretary General), have redoubled the harsh message towards Guterres and the UN.
“There is no cause for such a massacre,” Cohen said, speaking of the massacre of more than 1,400 people and the more than 200 kidnappings committed on October 7 by Hamas, who said that Guterres “should be ashamed.”
Related news
Even more incendiary have been the words, at his side, of Erdan, who has accused the Portuguese of having “lost all morality and impartiality”has demanded a “sorry today”, he has come to speak of a “blood libel“and he has said that with messages like the one from the Portuguese one is”tolerating and justifying terrorism“.
The ambassador has also accused the UN of “distorting reality” of what is happening on the ground, “taking things out of context” and “taking the numbers as if they were the word of God” about victims or attacks that come out of Gaza and are facilitated by the Palestinians. Erdan has even spoken of “moral bankruptcy“.