UN's António Guterres only shows that he's the Secretary-General of the Arab world - opinion

This past week found UN Secretary-General António Guterres deeply concerned but not over the Russia-Ukraine war, which has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced tens of millions. He’s not concerned about Iran’s nuclear buildup – or the oppression of women there and in various Arab countries. The 700,000 Sudanese children expected to die of starvation this year don’t bother him. Guterres is also at peace with the climate crisis, the dictatorship in Eritrea, civil wars in Venezuela, and tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. What truly concerns him is Israel. “Latest developments in the occupied West Bank, including Israel’s launch of large-scale military operations, are deeply concerning,” he wrote on social media.

This latest condemnation doesn’t come in a vacuum. Guterres has positioned himself as one of the greatest antisemites of our time. It’s odd that this title belongs to a man heading an organization tasked with global stability and harmony. Odd? Well, maybe not really, considering that 57 of the UN’s member states are part of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); thus a man who holds the position of UN Secretary-General needs to show positive results for an antisemitism check every couple of weeks.

Guterres’s choice to condemn Israel’s fight against terrorism in the battle to prevent the establishment of Hamastan 2, especially on a week following multiple terrorist attacks and attempted attacks, can only be interpreted one way: antisemitism. 

The fact that Israel defending itself bothers the UN Secretary-General more than the terrorism that necessitates its actions illustrates the failure of the United Nations.

Drawing an equivalence between a soverign state and a terrorist organization

To appear as the responsible, balanced, and objective adult in the room, Guterres tries to draw an equivalence between Hamas and Israel, portraying both sides as equally violent. But this transparent tactic only makes him more dangerous and malevolent.

After attempting to justify Hamas’s crimes; initiating a UN Security Council vote to prevent Israel from taking military action in Gaza; and condemning Israel every time it tries to counter regional terrorism; this week Guterres adds another gem to his collection, condemning Israel for its operations against the terrorist cells being established in Judea and Samaria, which aim to complete a stranglehold around Israel.

But in his antisemitic tweet, Guterres doesn’t answer one obvious question: If the IDF doesn’t act against the terrorists, who will stop the seeds of terror from growing into an army on Hezbollah’s scale? Moreover, who will protect the daughters of Israel from another pogrom the UN won’t see? Who will prevent the next October 7 that the UN won’t condemn? Who will return our hostages, whom the UN doesn’t recognize? Who will give us an alternative state when this one is destroyed? Until he answers that, perhaps he should spend less time lecturing and advising and more time helping the starving Sudanese children. They didn’t come from a vacuum either.

The writer is president of WIZO.