Israel has severed relations with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres‘ office after the country was added to a war zone sexual violence blacklist, Tel Aviv’s UN envoy announced Thursday.
Amb. Danny Danon announced the decision to end contacts with Guterres’ office in a pre-recorded video message, calling Israel’s addition “outrageous” while alleging the decision is part of a “campaign against Israel.”
“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,” said Dannon.
The diplomatic mission later confirmed ties have been cut with Guterres’ office in a post on American social media platform X in which it said Danon called the UN chief to inform him of the decision that “sharply attacked him and set him straight on the lies and the political campaign that the Secretary-General is trying to wage at Israel’s expense.”
In response to the Israeli move, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Guterres’ door “remains open to Israeli representatives, as to the other 192 member states and the two observer states.”
Guterres’ report on conflict-related sexual violence has yet to be officially released. The list of parties’ credibility suspect of violations is usually included in an annex within the report.
The decision to add Israel to the blacklist comes after multiple reports from the media and human rights groups accused Israel’s military of engaging in sexual violence.
An opinion piece published in the New York Times by columnist Nicholas Kristof earlier this month alleged Palestinian detainees had been subjected to widespread sexual violence by Israeli prison guards, soldiers, settlers and interrogators.
Kristof said he interviewed 14 Palestinian men and women who described sexual assaults and other abuse during detention, or attacks perpetrated by Israeli forces and settlers.
The columnist wrote that there was “no evidence that Israeli leaders order rapes,” but argued that Israeli authorities had created “a security apparatus where sexual violence has become,” citing a UN report, one of Israel’s “standard operating procedures.”
The article included testimonies alleging rape with objects, beatings targeting genitals, threats of sexual violence and humiliation during imprisonment.
Kristof cited reports by organizations including Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, Save the Children, B’Tselem and the Committee to Protect Journalists documenting allegations of sexual abuse and mistreatment of Palestinian detainees.
He also referenced a UN report published last year accusing Israel of “systematically” subjecting Palestinians to “sexualized torture.”
