What has the UN done and said on the Israel-Palestine conflict?

While the UN chief has made diplomatic efforts to de-escalate violence, the UN does not have a comprehensive method to enforce international law [Mohammed Asad/AP]

Israel and the United Nations are locked in a bitter spat, after UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday night said that the Hamas attacks of October 7 “did not happen in a vacuum”.

Guterres’s comments, at a UN Security Council meeting., sparked outrage from Israel, whose ambassador, Gilad Erdan asked the UN boss to resign, accusing Guterres of justifying terrorism. Israel has since said it will refuse visas to UN officials.