Iran Press/Europe: In a statement shared on social media Wednesday night, Borrell reiterated the EU's support for Guterres' efforts to broker peace in conflict zones, particularly in the Middle East. "We support UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his tireless efforts to achieve peace in all conflicts, especially in the Middle East," Borrell wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
He went on to condemn Israel’s actions, stating, "We deplore the unjustified attacks against him, as well as the unacceptable number of casualties among UN humanitarian workers."
Borrell emphasized that the EU "fully supports" Guterres' work, as well as that of the UN's humanitarian staff, both in the Middle East and globally, in their pursuit of peace and human relief.
Israel Declares Guterres "Persona Non Grata"
The diplomatic clash escalated earlier this week when Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that Guterres would be barred from entering the occupied territories, branding him an "undesirable element" for his failure to condemn Iran's retaliatory actions against Israel. Katz's remarks followed Guterres' recent comments on the ongoing conflict, where he highlighted that the violence "did not happen in a vacuum," referencing Israel's long history of human rights violations against Palestinians.
Israel's decision to block Guterres from entering the occupied territories has drawn widespread criticism from various international figures. Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, called the move "unheard of" and described it as "a slap, not just on the UN, but on the entire Security Council."
"We call on the members of the Security Council and the UN to react to this outrageous act," Nebenzia added.
China's representative to the UN, Fu Cong, also voiced his support for Guterres, expressing Beijing's "resolute opposition" to Israel's decision and reaffirming China’s backing of the UN chief.
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