UN Reportedly Blacklists Israeli Entities Over Sexual Violence Allegations in Conflict Zones
NEW YORK: The United Nations has reportedly decided to add several Israeli entities to its blacklist of offenders accused of sexual violence in conflict zones, following growing international scrutiny over alleged abuses against Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities.
According to Israeli media reports and statements from Israel’s envoy to the UN, the blacklist is expected to include entities such as the Israeli Prison Service.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, confirmed the development in a post on social media, strongly condemning the move and accusing the UN of political bias.
“This is a political decision disconnected from facts and reality,” Danon said, adding that Israel had submitted evidence challenging the allegations contained in UN reports.
Danon also announced that Israel would suspend cooperation with the office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres in response to the expected decision.
The move follows months of reports by human rights organisations, journalists and former detainees alleging torture, humiliation and sexual abuse inside Israeli prisons and military detention centres since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
Earlier this year, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, described conditions faced by Palestinian detainees as involving “brutal beatings, sexual violence, rape, starvation and systematic deprivation of basic human conditions.”
Her report stated that more than 18,500 Palestinians, including at least 1,500 children, had been arrested in the occupied territories since October 2023.
An investigation published by The New York Times on May 11 also detailed allegations that Israeli soldiers, settlers and prison personnel were involved in acts of rape, sexual abuse of minors, physical torture and degrading treatment against Palestinian detainees.
Human rights advocates have repeatedly called for independent international investigations into the allegations and greater accountability for abuses committed during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Israeli authorities have denied many accusations of systematic abuse and insist that their security forces operate within legal frameworks, while critics argue that mounting testimonies and investigations point to widespread violations inside detention facilities.