United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres gives a press conference on the sidelines of the 2024 United Nations Civil Society Conference at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi on 10 May, 2024 [TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images]
The United Nations’ head has accused Israel of spreading misinformation regarding his and the UN’s stance toward the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip and the conflict with Palestinian Resistance group, Hamas.
Speaking at a news conference on information integrity yesterday, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated that “I’ve heard the same source many times saying that I never attacked Hamas, that I never condemned Hamas, that I am a supporter of Hamas.”
Although he refrained from directly naming Israel, his reference to it was clear in the context of the Israeli government’s constant accusations throughout the past year that Guterres – as well as the UN, in general – supports Hamas and holds bias against Tel Aviv.
“I have condemned Hamas 102 times, 51 of them in formal speeches, the others in different social platforms”, he said, denying the Israeli accusations. “The truth, in the end, always wins.”
Following Guterres’s condemnation and remarks, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, claimed that they were “empty words when compared to his actions”. The UN chief’s “sole aim has been to help Hamas survive this war. We find it despicable that the Secretary-General refuses to abide by the UN’s standards and paints a distorted picture of events on the ground,” Erdan said. “Antonio Guterres is an accomplice to terror and should resign today.”
Source: Middle East Monitor
