UN blacklists Israel for 'using sexual violence as a weapon'

Israel says it has been blacklisted by the United Nations for alleged use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Israel’s UN ambassador calls the allegations outrageous and says the UN secretary-general and his team spread lies, including placing Israel and Hamas on the same list. Israel’s UN mission says it will have no contact with the secretary-general’s office while he remains in the role. The UN spokesman says the secretary-general’s door remains open. The findings have not yet been presented to the UN Security Council. A prior UN report warned Israel could be added, citing credible information about alleged abuse of Palestinian detainees, denied access for UN inspectors, and verified incidents including forced nudity and genital violence. Israel denies the claims.

"Israel says it has been blacklisted by the United Nations for using sexual violence as a weapon of war. The UN secretary-general's annual report on conflict-related sexual violence is customarily presented to states before publication, and has prompted a furious response from Israel, which says it has been added to the blacklist. Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the UN, said the allegations were "outrageous"."

""We are done with this secretary-general," he said on X. "The decision to blacklist Israel and accuse us of using sexual violence as a weapon of war is outrageous. "The secretary-general and his team continue to spread lies against Israel. To put us and Hamas terrorists on the same list, that's unacceptable.""

"The Israeli mission to the UN said in a statement that it would have no contact with Antonio Guterres's office as long as he served as head of the organisation. Stephane Dujarric, Mr Guterres's spokesman, said: "For our part, the secretary-general's door remains open.""

"It cited "credible information" regarding sexual violence allegedly committed by Israeli security forces against Palestinian detainees in prisons and other detention centres, and said that UN inspectors had been denied access to the facilities. The report said: "The Commission of Inquiry also received credible information of detainees subjected to burns to the anus. "Outside of detention settings, two incidents of genital beating and kicking at a checkpoint and during a house raid in the West Bank were verified. "In Gaza, Palestinian men, women and children were subjected to prolonged forced nudity, including being forced to walk naked in public.""

Read at Irish Independent