Israeli Foreign Minister Yisroel Katz condemned United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday for failing to acknowledge or praise Israel over its killing of Hamas terror leader Yahya Sinwar, and for failing to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization following its October 7 attack on Israel.

“Guterres is leading an extreme anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda,” Katz said. “We will continue to designate him as persona non grata and bar his entry to Israel.” Katz had previously banned Guterres from entering Israel just before Rosh Hashanah, accusing the U.N. leader of failing to condemn the brutal assault by Hamas and Iran’s aggression against Israel.

Katz expressed outrage that Guterres has yet to condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, including the mass killings and sexual violence. “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil,” Katz wrote.

In response, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric downplayed the impact of Katz’s declaration, calling it a “political statement” without practical effect. Dujarric noted that Guterres would only visit Israel by invitation, which was unlikely under the current strained relations. “We continue our contacts with Israel at the operational level and other levels because we need to,” Dujarric said.

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