Defending decision to recall UN envoy, Katz says Guterres trying to cover for Hamas

Foreign Minister Israel Katz is accusing United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of trying to help the Hamas terror group evade charges of sexual crimes against Israelis on October 7, after a UN report found victims and hostages have likely been subjected to rape.

Explaining his decision to recall Ambassador Gilad Erdan for consultations, Katz says on X that the move was made due to Guterres “acting to soften the serious report that he himself ordered on the sexual offenses of Hamas, trying to keep Hamas from being held responsible and not ordering that the Security Council be immediately convened to discuss the report and recognize Hamas as a terror group, with all the sanctions entailed, while calling for an unconditional release of all hostages.”

He says Israel will not allow Guterres “and his friends to deny the report,” accusing the UN chief of “bringing the organization down a notch by ignoring the terrible crimes against humanity committed against Jews and Israelis while constantly being involved in attempts to discredit Israel and its right to self-defense.”

The tweet, which sharpens but largely retreads comments made the previous day, also appears to push back against implicit criticism in a front-page story by Israel Hayom claiming that Katz recalled Erdan without letting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu know he was doing so.

“As foreign minister, I determine the policies and the prioritization of the Foreign Ministry’s values,” he tweets.

Guterres’s spokesman denied Monday that he was attempting to suppress the report.