MK Danny Danon
MK Danny DanonArutz Sheva-Israel National News

In an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, MK Danny Danon, Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations, takes the statements made by Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, very seriously, according to which the Hamas attack did not take place in a vacuum but on the background of a stifling occupation of 56 years, which has been interpreted by many in Israel and around the world as legitimacy granted by the UN Secretary-General to Hamas.

Danon, who knows the Secretary-General well on a personal level from his time as ambassador, says that he was shocked to hear the Secretary-General speak this way, as until now, he has tried to stay neutral.

"I have known him personally for many years, and to hear these things is shocking. This is an outrageous, brazen, baseless, and very serious statement," says Danon, who also believes that the UN Secretary-General has given full legitimacy to the massacre of the Jewish people.

According to MK Danon, “If the Secretary General does not retract his statement or resign, Israel will have no choice but to sever ties with him, not to invite him to Israel, and not to meet with him. I suggest that our allies in the US and other countries around the world also do the same.”

"We suffered a massacre, and we are in the midst of the most significant event in the history of the State of Israel, and when he says that there are circumstances to explain the situation, it means that you can find reasons to understand why it happened. It is impossible to understand why this happened, and no one can justify the barbaric acts done to our sons and our daughters, the hostages. There should be zero tolerance for the UN Secretary-General, and it sounds like he is probably considering his next position as a Hamas spokesman or another position in the terrorist organization. We will not cooperate with you."

Maybe Israeli advocacy has failed within the UN. Maybe the Secretary-General did not see the heinous scenes. Maybe this is the reason that he spoke that way. Danon rejects the claim and says: "I accompanied him on his visits to Israel, we spent a lot of time together. He came to my home on Saturdays. This is someone I know. I was at his house for important meetings, and he was careful to maintain a certain balance. But now he has completely crossed a red line, and we need to respond firmly. I can't believe he didn't see the pictures. The whole world saw the pictures. The whole world understood that we are dealing with barbaric acts that remind us of the Nazi regime, and by saying what he said, he has legitimized their acts."

Danon also points out that even Arab countries or countries that are less friendly to Israel have not made such statements, so these should definitely not be said by the UN Secretary-General.

As for his proposal to sever ties with the Secretary-General and the diplomatic price that Israel would have to pay for such a move, Danon emphasized that he is “not talking about severing relations with the UN. The UN has the UNIFIL force in the north of Israel. We have connections in the United Nations, and we are members of the United Nations, but with the actual person, the Secretary General of the United Nations, who will not be there forever and will be replaced in two years. As long as he himself is there, we have to work with others and not with him."

Danon believes that such a move would not have a diplomatic price. "We will continue to be there and fight for our position, and there is no price we will pay. It won't be pleasant, but in the current situation, I don't see any other option."