When UN secretary general António Guterres on Monday told the UN Security Council that the “appalling” massacres of Israelis by Hamas did not justify the “collective punishment” of the Palestinian people and condemned “clear violations of international law”, he unleashed a storm of protest from Israel and its supporters. The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, denounced his remarks as “shocking” and “justifying terrorism” and called for his resignation, while Israel announced a ban on UN representatives from visiting the country “to teach them a lesson”. Guterres prefaced his remarks by making clear his abhorrence at Hamas murders and...