Why Israel is Halting Visa Issuance to UN Representatives

Israel will stop issuing visas to UN representatives due to the stance of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regarding the Palestine-Israel conflict. This was announced by Israel's permanent representative to the global organization, Gilad Erdan. The information was reported by TASS.

“Due to Guterres' remarks, we will refuse to grant entry permits to UN representatives,” Erdan said during an interview on the army radio Galei Tzahal. “We have already denied the entry permit to UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths,” Erdan continued, adding, “It is time to give a lesson to UN representatives.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry also commented on Guterres' statements: “The statements made by the UN Secretary-General in the Security Council are serious, provoke anger and surprise and tarnish both him and the organization he leads. The UN Secretary-General must retract his words and apologize for his statement,” it said in a statement released by his press service.

It is worth recalling that yesterday, during a speech dedicated to the situation in the Middle East at the UN Security Council, Guterres stated that he unequivocally condemns the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, but called for a reminder that this did not happen without reason, noting that the Palestinian people have “been living under suffocating occupation for 56 years.”