Guterres accuses Israel of spreading misinformation about him
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres accused Israel on June 24th of having spread misinformation about him during the country’s war on the Gaza Strip, The New Arab and agencies reported.
“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,” Guterres said in a news conference on information integrity. He did not mention Israel explicitly.
In response, Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan said Guterres’s alleged were “empty words when compared to his actions.”
“His 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.”
READ: UN probe finds Gaza killings crimes against humanity
“I have condemned Hamas 102 times, 51 of them in formal speeches, the others in different social platforms,” he added. “The truth, in the end, always wins.”
Israel’s relationship with the UN has worsened during its war on Gaza. Israel risked being added to the organisation’s “list of shame” of countries who have committed mass acts of violence and murder against children. An Israeli strike also killed an international UN employee on May 13th.
Israel has since accused the UN of working with Hamas and other militants. The UN, while investigating some of these claims, has said that Israel has yet to present them with evidence to support them.
The New Arab
