NEW YORK: UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stressed that Israel's decision to declare UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata is a political move and "just one more attack, so to speak, on UN staff that we've seen from the government of Israel."
In a press remarks, Dujarric expressed his appreciation for the support shown to the Secretary-General by members of the UN Security Council in light of Israel's announcement.
He added that other countries have made similar decisions against other UN personnel, noting that the UN does "not recognise the concept of persona non grata applies to its staff."
Dujarric emphasised that in his 24-year career, he had never encountered a statement comparable to Israel's declaration against the UN Secretary-General.
Earlier, Israeli entity's Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that Antonio Guterres is barred from entering Israel because, as he claimed, the Secretary-General had not "unequivocally" condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel.
Meanwhile, France on Thursday condemned Israel's move saying the decision was "unjustified."
"France regrets the unjustified, serious and counter-productive decision taken by Israel to declare the secretary general of the United Nations, Mr Antonio Guterres, persona non grata," the French foreign ministry said in a statement.
Paris said it had "full support for and confidence" in Guterres, adding that the United Nations played "a fundamental role in the stability of the region."
"France reiterates its commitment to the United Nations Charter, to international law and to the importance of respecting Security Council decisions in maintaining international peace and security," the statement added.
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