Israeli Foreign Minister Accuses UN of Bias in Response to Hamas Massacre

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has launched a vehement critique against the United Nations and its secretary-general, António Guterres, over what he perceives as a lackluster and biased response to the October 7 massacre in Israel perpetrated by Hamas and its affiliated terror groups. In a strongly worded letter sent to Guterres on Monday, Katz accused the UN of demonstrating a distressing bias due to the Jewish identity of the victims, alleging that the response would have been significantly more decisive if the victims had not been Jewish or Israeli.

Katz’s letter condemned the UN’s tepid reaction to the atrocities, asserting that the global body’s reluctance to lead a forceful international stance against Hamas signals a concerning predisposition. “The necessity to declare Hamas as a terrorist organization and to impose severe sanctions similar to those placed on al-Qaida and Daesh [the Islamic State] is critical and indisputable,” Katz stated, urging Guterres to take immediate and robust action.

The Israeli foreign minister also called on the secretary-general to amplify efforts toward securing the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining 134 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, highlighting the urgency and gravity of the situation. Katz expressed profound dissatisfaction with the UN’s handling of the incident, particularly criticizing the dismissal of the heinous acts documented in a recent UN report as inadequate and offensive. “The response to the atrocities committed by Hamas is unacceptable. Your dismissal of the heinous acts as documented in the recent UN report is not only inadequate but also offensive,” Katz wrote.