UN calls Israel's ban on its top leader a political statement in long-running rift

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations on Wednesday called Israel's ban on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres entering the country a political statement by its foreign minister and stressed that the world body's contacts with Israel will continue ''because they have to.''

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz deeming the U.N. chief ''persona non grata'' is also ''one more attack on the United Nations staff that we've seen from the government of Israel.''

Israel's accusations of U.N. bias and antisemitism date back decades, but the rift has intensified since Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in the country's south killed about 1,200 people and launched the war in Gaza. Israel's offensive against the militant group has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters but that a little more than half were women and children.

An Israeli ground incursion in Lebanon and other attacks against Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group also backed by Iran, and an Iranian missile strike against Israel on Tuesday have threatened to plunge the Middle East into all-out war. The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting Wednesday on the Middle East.

Guterres didn't respond to a question about the ban as he headed to the meeting, where he demanded a halt to the escalation of ''tit-for-tat violence'' that he warned is leading people in the Middle East ''straight over the cliff.''

Earlier in the day, Katz accused Guterres of being biased against Israel and claimed the U.N. chief never condemned the Hamas attacks and sexual violence committed by its fighters.

Dujarric strongly disagreed, saying Guterres has condemned ''over and over again the terror attacks, the acts of sexual violence and other horrors that we've seen.''

But the Israeli government strongly objected to the secretary-general's phrase in his initial condemnation that said Hamas' attack didn't happen ''in a vacuum.''

Israel also has accused staff from the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, called UNRWA — the key provider of assistance in Gaza, of being Hamas members and participating in the Oct. 7 attacks and has curtailed their activities.

The U.N.'s internal watchdog has been investigating those Israeli allegations. UNRWA said Monday that a top Hamas commander killed in Lebanon was an employee who had been suspended since allegations of his ties to the militant group emerged in March.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has accused Israel of trying to destroy its operations. The agency provides education, health care, food and other services to several million Palestinians and their families.

Guterres also has accused Israel of ''collective punishment'' of Palestinians in its nearly yearlong military response to the Hamas attacks in Gaza, saying he has not seen so much death and destruction during his seven years as secretary-general.

Dujarric said that in his 24 years at the U.N., there have been U.N. staff declared persona non grata by a country but that he didn't know of a secretary-general being banned.

He stressed that the United Nations has never recognized the concept being applied to U.N. staff.

Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the practice applies to a country declaring a diplomat persona non grata — not an international organization.

''We continue our contacts with Israel at the operational level and other levels, because we need to,'' Dujarric said.