In the UN, where there is little or no room for action as history shows when it faces conflicts, speeches prevail. But it is clear that words, like cannon shots, are also carried by the devil.
Let them tell António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, who this Wednesday was forced to make an appearance before the press to try to stop the spiral of repudiation and tension that his speech of the Tuesday in the Security Council in which he showed understanding towards Palestine. Towards civilian citizens, not to the terrorists who launched the attack on October 7.
The Israeli ambassador, Gilad Erdan, demanded his immediate resignation, while, in the same session, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen attacked the Portuguese politician, saying, “Mr. Secretary General, what world do you live in?” In retaliation, Israel today vetoed access to the UN humanitarian affairs official, Martin Giffiths. “The time has come to teach them a lesson,” Erdan remarked.
“I am struck by the misinterpretation of some of my statements at the Security Council yesterday as justifying Hamas' acts of terror. This is false and it was the opposite,” Guterres stressed to try to calm the troubled waters.
“At the beginning of my speech, I clearly stated, and quoted: “I have roundly condemned the horrible and unprecedented act of Hamas in Israel on October 7. “Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, wounding and kidnapping of civilians, or the launching of missiles against civilian targets,” he recalled.
He insisted that in his speech he spoke of “the grievances of the Palestinian people,” but stressed that, in doing so, he clarified that “these grievances cannot justify Hamas's atrocious attacks.” And he then explained in his clarification that “I continued to refer to all aspects of the crisis” in the Middle East.
“I think it was necessary to make things clear, especially out of respect for the victims and their families,” he concluded his appearance before the press, in which he did not accept questions.
He left out of this statement one of the passages of his speech that has most angered Benjamin Netanyahu's executive. Guterres pointed out, after his severe condemnation of Hamas, that what happened did not come from nowhere. “The Palestinians have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,” words that infuriated Israeli leaders, who make the occupation unquestionable.
“The Secretary General, who shows understanding towards the campaign of mass deaths of women, children and the elderly, is not qualified to lead the UN,” replied Ambassador Erdan, who was left with only part of Guterres' speech.
That session of the Security Council was attended by Antony Blinken, head of US diplomacy, who quickly understood the storm that could be unleashed with the anger of his Israeli allies. Right after the Israeli minister's intervention, this is how Blinken began his speech: “We are grateful to the Secretary General's leadership in these times of incredible challenges.”
