Message of 'full support' for UN Secretary-General Guterres

African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat has announced his full support for United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose resignation was demanded by Israel after he stated that the "Hamas attacks did not happen in a vacuum."

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Message of 'full support' for UN Secretary-General Guterres

In a statement on X, Mahamat declared that he fully supports the leadership and principled position of UN Secretary-General Guterres, as well as the work of the UN in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Mahamat, the highest-ranking official of the Union under which African countries are gathered, stated that Guterres' stance is consistent with international law, the position of the African Union, and UN resolutions.

"THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE ARE SUBJECTED TO A STIFLING OCCUPATION"

In his speech at the UN Security Council (UNSC), Secretary-General Guterres condemned the attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel on October 7 and noted the following:

"It is important to also recognize that the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of stifling occupation. They have seen their land steadily seized by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing."

Guterres stated that Hamas' attacks against Israelis "cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people," adding, "Even war has rules."

Following these remarks, Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan, demanded the UN Secretary-General's resignation, and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen canceled his meeting with Guterres.

News Source: AA