JERUSALEM: Israel declared UN chief Antonio Guterres “persona non grata” on Wednesday, accusing him of failing to specifically condemn Iran’s missile attack on Israel.
“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil,” said Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a statement.
“This is an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers,” he said.
Katz added that Guterres, who he said supported the “murderers of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran, the mothership of global terror, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN for generations to come.”
Following Iran’s missile attack on Israel late Tuesday, Guterres condemned the “broadening conflict in the Middle East,” slamming “escalation after escalation” in the region.
“This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire,” said Guterres.
Israel has been a harsh critic of the UN, with ties between the state and the international body souring even more after the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Guterres has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to halt the fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon.
Israel declares UN chief ‘persona non grata’ over Iran attack response: foreign ministry
https://arab.news/9vmf4
Israel declares UN chief ‘persona non grata’ over Iran attack response: foreign ministry
UK names top diplomat as new envoy to US after Peter Mandelson
LONDON: The UK government on Thursday named career diplomat Christian Turner as the new British ambassador to the US, replacing Peter Mandelson who was sacked for his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that Turner was “one of the UK’s most experienced senior diplomats” and called on Washington to agree to his appointment.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “The United Kingdom and United States have a very special relationship, and Christian’s extensive experience as an outstanding diplomat will support this uniquely close bond and ensure it continues to flourish.”
Starmer will be hoping to set the UK embassy in Washington on a more even keel after sacking Mandelson in September, following “reprehensible” fresh revelations about his friendship with convicted sex offender Epstein.
Mandelson’s dismissal caused a political and diplomatic headache for Starmer as it came just days before a state visit to the UK by US President Donald Trump.
Turner, who had been appointed as the UK’s envoy to the United Nations but had yet to take up the post, will now be tasked with building links to the unpredictable Trump administration in Washington.
Turner, who has spent nearly three decades working at the heart of UK government, said he was “honored” to have been nominated for one of the most prestigious jobs in the foreign diplomatic service.
“Our two countries share a historic partnership rooted in common values, shared security and deep economic ties,” he said in a statement.
“At a pivotal time for the transatlantic relationship, I look forward to working with President Trump’s administration.”
