UN Chief Banned from Entering Israel

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Facts

  • Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday that UN Secretary General António Guterres is banned from entering the country because he didn't 'unequivocally condemn' Iran's Tuesday attack on Israel, claiming that Guterres has had an 'anti-Israel policy since the beginning of the war.'[1]
  • Following Iran's attack, Guterres called for a cease-fire to end tensions in the region. An Israeli journalist reported that Guterres would still be able to enter Israel using his non-diplomatic passport.[2][3]
  • Meanwhile, the Israeli military said that eight soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah in south Lebanon on Wednesday. Hezbollah said it destroyed three Israeli tanks advancing toward the Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras.[4][5]
  • In Gaza, Reuters reported that a new customs rule introduced by Israeli authorities has hindered food supplies in recent weeks, while deliveries have scaled down. Israel confirmed that no UN-chartered convoy had entered Gaza from Jordan since Sep. 19 but denied blocking goods.[6]
  • Israel has also reportedly restricted commercial food shipments to Gaza over concerns that they benefit Hamas. UN and Israeli government data found that in September, deliveries of food and aid decreased to their lowest level in seven months.[6]
  • In Tel Aviv on Tuesday, two Palestinian attackers from the West Bank town of Hebron stabbed and shot 15 people, killing seven and injuring eight. The two attackers were also killed, according to Israeli authorities. The attack occurred just before Iran began its attack on Israel.[7][8]

Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]Jerusalem Post, [3]The Daily Beast, [4]Timesofisrael (a), [5]Timesofisrael (b), [6]Reuters (a), [7]ABC News and [8]Reuters (b).

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New York Times. Though the situation in the region continues to escalate, the US has stood firm in its role as a mediator. Israel has every right to respond to the daily terror attacks it has seen since Oct. 7. However, it is in no one's interest for tensions to explode into a wider regional war. The US will continue to work toward regional stability.
  • Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Tabletmag. Amid ongoing terror from Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran, the world has turned its back on Israel. Whole stretches of the region have been taken hostage by Iran-backed terror groups while Israel is fighting to liberate the Middle East. Indeed, Israel does not only have a right to defend itself; it has a right to win.
  • Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Israel is bombing several countries in the Middle East yet continues to play the victim. As it commits genocide in Gaza and works to destroy Lebanon — all in the name of 'remaking the Middle East' — it will only create more problems for itself. Indeed, Israel's aggression is only strengthening the resolve of its enemies and pushing the civilian population into their arms.