Israel Severs Ties With UN Chief Over Sexual Violence Blacklist
Israel froze all relations with UN Secretary-General António Guterres after the UN blacklisted Israeli security forces for alleged sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.
The United Nations added the Israel Prison Service and other Israeli security forces to its 2026 blacklist of parties credibly suspected of committing conflict-related sexual violence. The report, authorized by Secretary-General António Guterres, verified 31 cases of rape, gang rape, and genital torture against Palestinian men, women, and children from the Gaza Strip and West Bank, specifically citing abuses at the Sde Teiman military camp and the Etzion detention center. The UN also blacklisted Russian security forces for the first time, documenting 310 cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war in Ukraine.
In response, the Cabinet of Israel severed all diplomatic ties with the Office of the Secretary-General, stating it will not resume contact until Guterres is replaced. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon condemned the decision as a "political attack" and a "new low" for equating a democracy with terrorist organizations like Hamas and ISIS. Israel denied all allegations, claiming the UN ignored evidence provided by the state and obstructed its own investigators. First Lady Michal Herzog described the report as a "stain on the record" of the UN.
International reactions were divided. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz called the listing "ridiculous," while the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed the report as a victory for accountability. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric maintained that Guterres's door remains open to Israeli representatives. Separately, during this period of diplomatic rupture, the UN expressed concern over intensified Israeli airstrikes in southern Beirut, Lebanon.
