UN Adds Israel to Blacklist for Sexual Violence in Conflict
UN includes Israeli forces for the first time in 15 years on sexual violence blacklist for treatment of Palestinian detainees.
Objective Facts
An annual United Nations report documenting sexual violence in conflicts worldwide has included Israeli forces for the first time since the review began more than 15 years ago for their treatment of Palestinian detainees. The Israel Prison Service (IPS) will be included on the 2026 list, and other Israeli authorities have entered a monitoring framework for the possibility of future inclusion. Israeli ambassador Danny Danon announced in a video on X that Israel will cut ties with UN chief Antonio Guterres, stating "We are done with this secretary-general." The UN documented "patterns of sexual violence" against Palestinians detained in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, verifying multiple incidents involving 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl from Gaza and the West Bank, with 13 cases occurring in 2025 and 18 in 2023 and 2024. UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls Reem Alsalem said adding Israel to the blacklist is "long overdue," citing "systematic, large-scale and horrific sexual violence perpetrated by Israel against Palestinian women, men and children that have been independently documented and verified." Middle East Eye and international human rights organizations documented similar patterns, presenting a regional perspective that corroborates the UN findings.
Left-Leaning Perspective
Human rights advocates and UN officials supporting the listing focused on documented evidence of sexual violence. UN special rapporteur Reem Alsalem stated adding Israel to the blacklist is "long overdue," expressing past disappointment that Israel was not listed earlier "given the systematic, large-scale and horrific sexual violence perpetrated by Israel against Palestinian women, men and children that have been independently documented and verified." Middle East Eye and other human rights organisations documented allegations of rape and other forms of sexual violence by Israeli forces against Palestinians since October 2023. A UN inquiry accused Israel of using sexualised torture and rape as "a method of war... to destabilize, dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people," and Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem described the Israeli prison system as a "network of torture camps" with "repeated use of sexual violence" including "gang sexual violence and assault committed by a group of prison guards or soldiers." The left's framing emphasized that credible evidence—including UN investigations, human rights documentation, and testimony from released detainees—supported the listing. The UN report verified "patterns of sexual violence" against Palestinians detained in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, documenting incidents involving 14 men, seven women, nine boys and one girl from Gaza and the West Bank. Supporters argued this was not politically motivated but rather a factual consequence of systematic patterns already documented in previous reports. Left-leaning coverage focused primarily on the documented evidence of abuse rather than engaging with Israeli arguments about UN bias. While outlets like Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye gave substantial attention to witness testimonies and UN findings, they minimized discussion of Israel's claims to have cooperated with the UN process or provided alternative documentation.
Right-Leaning Perspective
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon called the decision "outrageous," stating "The decision to blacklist Israel and accuse us of using sexual violence as a weapon of war is an outrageous decision." US human-rights advocate Elliot Malin told the Jerusalem Post the decision was a "major blight on the UN, the entire professional apparatus, and an indictment on its ability to objectively weigh in on conflict," noting "In an institution where they commonly single out and demean a democracy while ignoring the atrocities of totalitarian states, even elevating them to prominent roles in UN appendant bodies – this is just another demonstration of the inability of the UN to act in a fair and balanced manner." According to Israel, heavy pressure was exerted on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to include Israel on the list following Hamas's inclusion, after Guterres had placed Israel on notice last August for potential inclusion in the blacklist. Israel argued it had provided documents, data, and detailed responses to all claims raised in reports, invited UN personnel to visit sites of alleged atrocities to examine claims closely, but Guterres chose to include Israel on the list despite this information. Danon attacked Guterres, stating: "Antonio Guterres, who justified the October 7 massacre, whitewashed the involvement of UNRWA employees in the massacre, and led the organization to an unprecedented low, is using the last months of his term to advance political and false accusations against Israel." Right-leaning critics framed the listing as a political decision disconnected from facts, arguing that Israel had been singled out unfairly in a UN system biased against democracies. The focus was on perceived institutional hostility to Israel and claims that the decision was driven by external pressure rather than evidence.
Deep Dive
The UN's decision to add Israel to its blacklist for conflict-related sexual violence represents a historically significant moment, marking the first time in over 15 years of the report's existence that Israeli forces have been listed. The decision arrives amid heightened tensions between Israel and the UN following the 2023 Gaza war and reflects competing claims about whether the listing stems from documented evidence or geopolitical bias. Fundamentally, the dispute centers on evidentiary standards and institutional credibility. The left's position rests on the UN's methodology: independent verification of 31 documented cases (13 in 2025, 18 in 2023-2024) involving specific victims with consistent testimony about sexual violence in Israeli detention. The UN report details allegations including rape with objects, gang rape, forced nudity, and cavity searches without security justification. This evidence base is corroborated by UN inspectors, human rights organizations including B'Tselem, and media investigations. The right's position emphasizes Israel's cooperation efforts—meetings with UN representatives, provision of documents and data—and argues the decision reflects political pressure from the inclusion of Hamas (which was listed in August) rather than independent evidence. They contend the UN system is structurally biased against democracies and that Guterres was motivated by political considerations in his final term rather than factual findings. Notably, the report itself acknowledges constraints on verification: it notes the UN was denied access to Israeli detention facilities, limiting the comprehensiveness of investigation. Both sides cite this fact differently—the UN uses it to argue Israel obstructed investigation; Israel argues it prevented verification of allegations. What remains unresolved is whether the listing will face legal or diplomatic challenges before the annual report's publication, whether it will affect U.S. aid to Israel, and whether it signals a broader UN reassessment of conflict-related sexual violence beyond Gaza and Palestine.
Regional Perspective
Middle East Eye, a major regional outlet covering the Middle East, documented allegations of rape and other forms of sexual violence by Israeli forces against Palestinians since October 2023. Regional coverage emphasized the confirmation of patterns Palestinian civil society and human rights organizations had been documenting for years. The Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported the UN's decision to add Israel to the blacklist for sexual violence in conflict zones. Regional media framing differed significantly from Western coverage in two key ways: Palestinian and regional outlets treated the UN listing as validation of documented abuses rather than a controversial political decision, and they emphasized the connection between sexual violence and Israeli military and detention policies in Gaza and the West Bank. Middle East Eye documented that Israeli soldiers and prison guards have faced allegations of a wide range of abuses against Palestinian detainees since October 2023, including rape, torture, starvation and degrading treatment, with at least 100 prisoners reportedly dying in custody under these conditions, and dozens of testimonies from released detainees detailing alleged mistreatment in Israeli custody. This framing positioned the UN decision as a logical consequence of systemic patterns rather than as a politicized move. The regional angle reflects how stakes differ for affected populations: for Palestinians and their international advocates, the listing represents international institutional recognition of abuses experienced directly; for Israelis, the same decision signals institutional bias requiring diplomatic response. Regional outlets prioritized documentation and victim testimony over the institutional dispute about Guterres's motivations that dominated Israeli and Western criticism.