Israel accuses UN chief of justifying terrorism over Hamas attack comment

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sparked outrage in Israel over remarks he made during a Security Council meeting (Seth Wenig/AP)

Israeli officials expressed outrage on Wednesday after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel “did not happen in a vacuum”, calling his comment justification for terrorism.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen cancelled a scheduled meeting with Mr Guterres, while Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial centre, said the UN chief “failed the test”.