Israel Breaks All Contact with UN Secretary-General

Israel has decided to cut off all contact with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the country's ambassador announced on Thursday, saying Israel's "excesses" were blacklisted for alleged sexual violence in conflict zones.

"We're done with this secretary general," Ambassador Danny Danon said in a video posted on X, Al Arabiya reported from AFP (29/5).

"The decision to put Israel on the blacklist and accuse us of using sexual violence as a weapon of war is an outrageous decision," he criticized, referring to the upcoming report from the UN Secretary-General's Office.

"The secretary-general and his team continue to spread lies against Israel. Putting us and the Hamas terrorists on the same list, it is unacceptable," Danon said.

Israel's mission to the UN said in a statement it would not engage with the Office of the Secretary-General as long as Guterres served as the head of the organization.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said they were aware of Danon's statement.

"From our side, the door of the secretary-general remains open," said Stephane Dujarric.

The annual report of the UN Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence is usually presented to the countries concerned before being made public.

Last August, the report warned that Israel could be added to the list of parties suspected of or responsible for sexual violence in situations of armed conflict.

The militant group Hamas appears on the list.

At the time, the UN cited "credible information" about sexual violence allegedly committed by Israeli security forces against Palestinian prisoners in prisons and other detention centers, and said that UN inspectors had been denied access to the facilities.

"We invited UN representatives to come to Israel to examine these absurd accusations. They chose not to come," Danon said.

The relationship between the UN and Israel is tense and has reached its lowest point since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack that triggered Israel's war in Gaza.

Israeli authorities have reprimanded Guterres and other UN officials for criticizing Israel's devastating attacks on Gaza. The UN Secretary-General was declared a "personal non grata" in Israel in 2024.