Jerusalem retaliates after UN includes Israel on sexual violence blacklist

Israel cut ties with UN Secretary-General António Guterres after Israeli state organizations were added to the UN sexual violence blacklist.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel is freezing cooperation with the office of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres after the UN added Israeli bodies to a blacklist of parties suspected of conflict-related sexual violence, Israeli officials said Thursday.

The decision marks a sharp escalation in Israel’s already strained relationship with Guterres, whom Israeli officials have repeatedly accused of bias during the war against Hamas.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said Jerusalem would no longer work with the secretary-general’s office while Guterres remains in the post.

“We are done with this UN secretary-general,” Danon said. “Guterres has put Israel on the same blacklist as Hamas, ISIS and the most cruel terrorist organizations in the world. This is a moral disgrace that proves the UN has lost all credibility.”

The Israel Prison Service will be included in the 2026 list, while other Israeli authorities will enter a monitoring framework for possible future inclusion.

The blacklist is part of the secretary-general’s annual report on conflict-related sexual violence, which names state and non-state parties “credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence” in conflicts on the Security Council agenda.

According to Israeli reports, Jerusalem is also canceling a planned visit to Israel by Pramila Patten, the UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict.

Danon said the decision came despite a year of contacts between Israeli diplomats and representatives of the secretary-general’s office. Israeli officials said they had submitted documents, data and detailed answers to allegations raised by the UN, and had invited UN officials to examine Israeli claims and evidence.

“Anyone who is able to include Israel on the same list as Hamas terrorists and rapists has no sense of morality,” Danon told The Jerusalem Post.

He accused Guterres of ignoring Israeli cooperation and advancing what he called “political and false accusations against Israel.”

The reported move follows a warning last year from Guterres that Israeli armed and security forces could be added to the list if the UN determined there was a pattern of sexual violence against Palestinians, particularly in detention settings.

In an August 2025 report, Guterres said the UN had documented concerns involving “genital violence, prolonged forced nudity and repeated strip searches conducted in an abusive and degrading manner.”

He said Israel had engaged with Patten’s office but had provided limited information on accountability measures.

Danon rejected those allegations at the time as “baseless accusations.”

“The UN must focus on the shocking war crimes and sexual violence of Hamas and the release of all hostages,” Danon said then. “Israel will not shy away from protecting its citizens and will continue to act in accordance with international law.”

The same 2025 UN report added Hamas to the conflict-related sexual violence list, citing the October 7, 2023, attack and the treatment of hostages held in Gaza.

Patten’s office previously said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe conflict-related sexual violence occurred during the October 7 attack in multiple locations in southern Israel, including rape and gang rape.

Her team also found “clear and convincing information” that hostages held in Gaza were subjected to sexual violence, including rape and sexualized torture.

Israel believes Hamas’s inclusion on the UN list generated pressure inside the organization to also include Israel.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry and UN mission have also pointed to recent international media coverage and UN-backed reports alleging abuse of Palestinian detainees, arguing that the claims are part of a broader campaign to portray Israel as systematically using sexual violence. Israel has denied such allegations.

Israel says the UN has failed to adequately recognize the sexual crimes committed by Hamas on October 7 and against hostages, while applying a different standard to allegations against Israeli forces.

The dispute comes as Guterres approaches the end of his second term, which is scheduled to conclude on December 31, 2026. Danon said Israel would wait for “a professional and fair secretary-general” before resuming normal contact with the office.