Washington Rebukes UN Move On Israel Arabian Post

(MENAFN- The Arabian Post) clearfix"> Washington has sharply criticised a United Nations decision to place Israel's armed and security forces on a blacklist linked to conflict-related sexual violence, calling the move“ridiculous” as the report deepened tensions between Israel, the UN leadership and Western capitals over the conduct of the Gaza war.

The annual report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres added Israeli forces to a list of parties“credibly suspected” of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence in armed conflict. The document cited what it described as a continuing pattern of abuse against Palestinian detainees held by Israel, including men, women and children from Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The decision marks the first time Israel's armed and security forces have been included in the UN's conflict-related sexual violence annex, placing them on a list that also includes Hamas, Russia, armed groups in Africa and extremist organisations accused of grave abuses. Russia was also added over documented sexual violence against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war.

US officials rejected the inclusion of Israel, arguing that placing a close ally on the same type of list as armed groups accused of mass atrocities was unfair and politically damaging. The criticism reflected Washington's wider position that Israel faces legitimate security threats after the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, while also facing growing pressure to address allegations of mistreatment in detention facilities and military operations.

The UN report said 31 cases involving Palestinian victims had been verified between 2023 and 2025, while stressing that the figure did not represent the full scale of alleged violations because of access restrictions, fear of reprisals and the difficulty of investigating detention-related abuse during wartime. The allegations included rape, attempted rape, sexual torture, forced nudity, genital violence, invasive searches and threats of sexual assault.

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The report said many of the incidents occurred in detention settings, including prisons, military camps, interrogation centres and checkpoints. It referred to allegations involving personnel from the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Prison Service and police units. The document also said the pattern was sustained by weak accountability, limited access for independent monitors and the absence of credible prosecutions for sexual violence.

Israel rejected the allegations as baseless and politically motivated. Its ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, accused the secretary-general of acting with bias and said Israel would freeze relations with Guterres's office while he remains in post. Israeli officials said they had provided material to challenge the accusations and argued that the UN had failed to give sufficient weight to sexual violence committed by Hamas during the October 2023 attacks and against hostages held in Gaza.

Hamas remains on the UN list over allegations linked to the October 2023 assault and the treatment of hostages. UN investigators have said access constraints have limited full verification in some cases involving Israeli victims, while maintaining that there are reasonable grounds to believe sexual violence occurred during the attacks and captivity.

The blacklisting does not automatically trigger sanctions, but it carries diplomatic consequences. Countries and groups placed on the list can face intensified scrutiny at the Security Council, reputational damage, restrictions in UN-linked operations and pressure to adopt time-bound action plans to prevent and punish violations.

The controversy comes as Israel faces mounting legal and diplomatic scrutiny over Gaza, where the war has produced mass displacement, destruction of civilian infrastructure and a severe humanitarian crisis. Allegations of abuse in detention have added another layer to the international debate, especially after reports of Palestinian detainees being held for prolonged periods without regular access to lawyers, families or outside monitors.

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Rights groups and UN bodies have repeatedly called for independent access to Israeli detention sites holding Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank. Israel has said its forces operate under legal oversight and that any suspected misconduct is subject to review. Critics argue that investigations into abuses have been narrow, slow and rarely result in accountability for senior officials or commanders.

The report also widened scrutiny beyond Israel. Russian armed and security forces were listed over 310 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine, including abuses against prisoners of war and detained civilians. Moscow denied wrongdoing, as it has done throughout the war, while UN monitors said lack of access to detention sites had prevented a fuller accounting.

The decision places Guterres at the centre of another confrontation with Israel after months of disputes over Gaza, humanitarian access and UN criticism of military operations. Israel has repeatedly accused UN agencies and senior officials of bias, while UN leaders have said the organisation's findings are based on established monitoring standards and survivor testimony.

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