The international community is calling for the resignation of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after he made “shameful” comments about recent Hamas attacks against Israel. On May 15th, Guterres said that it was “unacceptable for any group or actor to deliberately provoke and seek to exploit” the tensions that led to the violence, effectively equating the Israeli and Hamas attacks.
The comments have been met with widespread condemnation from world leaders, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing the comments as “scandalous” and “outrageous”. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken went even further, calling the comments “disqualifying”. The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, similarly spoke out against Guterres’ remarks, saying that “the secretary-general’s comments utterly omit the facts and context”.
In response to the backlash, Guterres has already issued an apology on May 17. “I sincerely regret the words I used and the way they were understood by many,” he said in a statement. “I in no way meant to equate attacks against innocent people with legitimate acts of self-defense.”
Despite his apology, Guterres’ words have done little to quell the growing anger and calls for his resignation. Many argue that the Secretary-General’s comments show that he is either unwilling or incapable of fulfilling his mandate to lead the UN during what is a crucial and volatile time in the Middle East.
Only time will tell if Guterres will resign or weather the storm and remain in charge. Regardless of what choice he makes, it is clear that the international community will be closely watching his next move.
