Political division still raging over UN secretary general’s speech on Israel-Hamas conflict

Political division is still raging today over the speech given earlier this week by UN secretary-general António Guterres. While Mr Guterres’ has been ‘backed to the hilt’ by the government and President of the Republic, opposition parties have not been quite so effusive. PSD for instance, in the form of vice-president Paulo Rangel, has referred to a ‘less than happy aspect’ of the speech, while IL (Iniciativa Liberal) has said Mr Guterres has “sunk the UN into a swamp” from which it cannot emerge as any kind of effective negotiator. Israel meantime continues its line of outrage, now refusing visas to UN operatives to even enter the country.