Israel Demands Resignation of UN Chief Amid Row Over Palestine Remarks

Facts

• Israeli officials demanded the resignation of UN Secretary Gen. António Guterres following remarks the UN chief made at a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday.¹
• Guterres said Israel's bombardment and blockade of the territory amounted to the 'collective punishment of the Palestinian people' and violated international law. This came on a day when 700 people were reportedly killed in Israel's bombing of Gaza, and amid reports that Gaza's hospitals have begun to shut down due to lack of fuel.²
• Guterres condemned the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 but said they 'did not happen in a vacuum,' claiming 'the Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation.' He added, however, that 'the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.'²
• In response to the remarks, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen canceled a meeting with Guterres. Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz, a member of the war-time unity government in Israel, labeled the UN chief a 'terror apologist.' Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the UN, described the comments as 'shocking' and called on Guterres to resign; he said those who showed 'understanding' for what Hamas did to Israeli civilians were unfit to lead the UN.¹
• Erdan took his comments further on Wednesday, telling domestic radio that as a result of Guterres' remarks, Israel will refuse to issue visas to UN representatives. He said: 'We have already refused a visa for Under-Secretary-Gen. for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths. The time has come to teach them a lesson.'³
• Meanwhile, Israel's bombardment of Gaza continued overnight into Wednesday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said strikes killed a key Hamas commander — Taysir Mubasher of the North Khan Younis Battalion. In the meantime, health authorities in Gaza said Wednesday that 756 people were killed in overnight attacks, taking the total of those killed to in excess of 6.5K since Israel started its aerial campaign.⁴

Sources: ¹The Times of Israel (a), ²The Guardian, ³Al Jazeera and ⁴The Times of Israel (b).

Narratives

• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Times of Israel. Guterres' comments are shocking and unacceptable. Those who show sympathy for those who committed a campaign of terror and mass murder against Israeli civilians are unfit to lead the UN. Guterres should resign immediately.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by The Guardian. Guterres' comments came after Israeli air strikes killed another 700 civilians and as aid officials continued to warn of a humanitarian cataclysm. He is right to say that what Israel is doing to Gaza is a collective punishment for Palestinians as a whole. This is a severe violation of international law, and Guterres should not have to vacate his post.

Predictions