Prefer Jewish News on Google
Guterres admits that several UN special rapporteurs are ‘totally out of control’
Ahead of his departure in December, Secretary-General says 'we're on the right side of history'; denies the organisation has an institutional bias against Israel
Outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has admitted that the international body has several special rapporteurs who are “totally out of control” in regard to their perspective on Israel.
In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, when asked directly, Guterres denied that the UN is institutionally biased against Israel, saying: “There are different entities within the UN […] We have independent rapporteurs, and we have many who are totally out of control from the Secretariat’s point of view”, adding: “I totally refuse the idea of bias. On the contrary, I think we have been on the right side of history.”
From his perspective, he said the UN had been “defending what is necessary for peace to come to the Middle East.”
In January 2025, the former US Special Envoy on Antisemitism, Professor Deborah Lipstadt, told reporters at a roundtable event that Guterres had twice told her that Francesca Albanese, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, was a “horrible person”.
Albanese is a vehement critic of Israel. She was appointed to a second three-year term as special rapporteur in April 2025, despite publicly aired misgivings from a number of countries about her conduct. When she was originally appointed to the role in 2022, the UN appeared to ignore a notorious statement she had made in 2014, describing America and Europe, saying “one of them subjugated by the Jewish lobby, and the other by the sense of guilt about the Holocaust.”
Speaking to the Jerusalem Post in response to the Secretary General’s comments, Israel’s UN Ambassador, Danny Danon said: “Now that UN Secretary-General Guterres is leaving office, he is admitting that many of the UN’s human rights rapporteurs have gone ‘totally out of control,’. It’s time to ask who let them get out of control in the first place. It happened on his watch!”
Following the terror atrocities of 7 October 2023, Guterres faced calls for his resignation after suggesting the Hamas attacks “did not happen in a vacuum”, later qualifying them by adding: “But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas.”
In a June 2026 memorial ceremony, standing alongside the president of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), he lit a candle of remembrance in tribute to Imad El Samhouri, a member of UNRWA personnel – and a Hamas commander – killed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Rebeca Grynspan, a Jewish economist and former Costa Rican vice president, is the current favourite of eight candidates tipped to succeed António Guterres when he steps down on 31 December after two terms in office.
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
