B’nai B’rith President Seth J. Riklin and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:

We strongly condemn U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres for his remarks that recycle a false rationale for the savage Hamas attacks against Israel launched on Oct. 7.

Hamas massacred more than 1,400 Israelis, injured more than 3,500 and kidnapped some 220 people, but Guterres said the terror attack “did not happen in a vacuum.”

The Secretary-General’s words showing understanding for the motivation behind Hamas’ terrorism and barbarity are unacceptable and use the platform of the U.N. to create a permission structure for terrorists worldwide to do more of the same.

Since when is there ever pretext for murdering babies, children, women and the elderly—including Holocaust survivors? The answer seems to be: Only when Israel and the Jewish people are the victims.

More than two weeks into Israel’s war with Hamas, rockets still rain down on Israelis and Palestinians.

Anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish terrorism—just like other forms of hate and violence—must be condemned and combated, never justified. Israel has every right to defend itself.