UN CHIEF SENDS MESSAGE TO WORLD 'Don't cave in to Israeli intimidation'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP Friday the world should not be “intimidated” by Israel and its creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank.

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In an interview at UN headquarters in New York, he also called for more ambitious climate action saying that efforts to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels were at risk of “collapsing”.

Mr Guterres spoke to AFP ahead of the UN’s signature high-level week at which 10 countries will recognise a Palestinian state, according to France — over fierce Israeli objections.

The meeting of more than 140 heads of state and government, which paralyses a corner of Manhattan for a week each year, will likely be dominated by the future of the Palestinians and the war in Gaza.

Israel has reportedly threatened to annex the West Bank if Western nations press ahead with the recognition plan at the UN gathering.

But Mr Guterres said, “We should not feel intimidated by the risk of retaliation”.

“With or without doing what we are doing, these actions would go on and at least there is a chance to mobilise international community to put pressure for them not to happen,” he said.