UN chief says ‘shocked’ by ‘misrepresentations’ of remarks on Gaza war that outraged Israel
- UN secretary general said he needed to ‘set the record straight’ after his speech on the Gaza war
- Israel’s ambassador to the UN called on Antonio Guterres to step down, denouncing his ‘vacuum’ remarks
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres rejected the “misrepresentations” of his remarks a day earlier on Palestinian grievances that infuriated Israel.
“I am shocked by misrepresentations by some of my statement yesterday in the Security Council – as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas,” Guterres told reporters on Wednesday, without naming Israel.
Addressing a Security Council session on Tuesday, the UN chief, again without naming Israel, denounced “the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza”.
In remarks that especially outraged Israel, he said it was important to “recognise the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum” as the Palestinians have been “subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation”.
Guterres said Wednesday it was “necessary to set the record straight, especially out of respect for the victims and their families”.
“I spoke of the grievances of the Palestinian people. And in doing so, I also clearly stated, and I quote: ‘But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas’.”
