More than 100 states sign letter of support for UN chief after Israeli travel ban
UN member states have signed a letter condemning Israel’s recent declaration of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as “persona non grata”.
In a strong show of support for the UN’s chief, 105 states signed the letter that expresses “deep concern” and condemns the recent announcement by Israel’s foreign minister that Guterres was banned from entering Israel.
“Such actions undermine the United Nations’ ability to carry out its mandate, which includes mediating conflicts and providing humanitarian support,” the signatories said.
“We affirm our full support and confidence in the Secretary-General and his work … As member states of the United Nations, we call for respect for the UN’s leadership and its mission,” they said.
The joint statement, which was spearheaded by Chile, Brazil, Colombia, South Africa, Uganda, Indonesia, Spain, Guyana and Mexico, follows after the UN Security Council recently expressed backing for the secretary-general.
The 15-member council said in a statement that “any decision not to engage with the UN Secretary-General or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East”.
UN expert says ‘no one takes the Israeli government seriously’: Report
Speaking to Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen, Chris Sidoti was reported as saying that “no one takes the Israeli government or its delegation seriously on anything they say, as they lie and their comments on the report are lies”.
Sidoti, speaking ahead of a damning report set to be published by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, of which he is a member, also accused Israel of “targeting and destroying the healthcare sector and its workers in Gaza”.
Sidoti said the evidence “clearly indicates deliberate, targeted attacks” by Israel on Gaza’s healthcare system, saying this was aimed at “its destruction”. He said these actions amount to “a war crime and a crime against humanity”.
The Commission of Inquiry report will be presented to the UN General Assembly on October 30.
Members of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, left to right: Chris Sidoti, Navanethem Pillay and Miloon Kothari attend a news briefing at UN headquarters in New York in 2022
US envoy says Israel’s bombing campaign in Beirut ‘needs to stop’
Amos Hochstein told Lebanese television channel LBC from Washington that the US is working “nonstop” towards a ceasefire in the country. “We want the whole conflict to end,” said the US diplomat, who has been tasked with de-escalating tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Hochstein also said Israeli strikes on central Beirut on Thursday, which killed 22 people, were “totally unacceptable”.
“We have a continued [Israeli] campaign of bombing in Beirut. It needs to stop,” Hochstein said. “We’re trying to bring this bombing to a close. We don’t like this campaign of bombings in densely populated Beirut.”
Then stop giving Israel the green light to continue... Actions speak louder than words.
