Palestine Hails Navi Pillay’s 2026 Nobel Peace Prize Win
(MENAFN) Palestine on Friday welcomed the award of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay, saying it honors her defense of international law and her documentation of Israeli crimes.
The Foreign Ministry said the win elevated “the voice of truth and the voice of the oppressed.” It said Pillay spent her career defending law, justice and the rights of oppressed people in South Africa and worldwide, Palestinians included.
The ministry praised her chairmanship, from 2021 to 2025, of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. It said the commission helped document genocide, sexual violence, attacks on children and other Israeli violations, and that the prize encourages efforts to hold perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity accountable.
The ministry added that the award underscored that “there can be no lasting peace without justice and equality for all.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored the 85-year-old jurist “for her efforts to promote peace and international law.”
“This year’s laureate has significantly enlarged the scope and impact of international law,” it said, citing her work in international courts and as UN high commissioner for human rights.
Born in Durban to a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid, Pillay began her career challenging racial discrimination and defending apartheid opponents. She went on to serve as UN high commissioner for human rights, an International Criminal Court judge, president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice.
The commission she chaired concluded in a 2025 report that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a finding Israel rejects. The prize will be presented in Oslo on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
The Foreign Ministry said the win elevated “the voice of truth and the voice of the oppressed.” It said Pillay spent her career defending law, justice and the rights of oppressed people in South Africa and worldwide, Palestinians included.
The ministry praised her chairmanship, from 2021 to 2025, of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. It said the commission helped document genocide, sexual violence, attacks on children and other Israeli violations, and that the prize encourages efforts to hold perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity accountable.
The ministry added that the award underscored that “there can be no lasting peace without justice and equality for all.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored the 85-year-old jurist “for her efforts to promote peace and international law.”
“This year’s laureate has significantly enlarged the scope and impact of international law,” it said, citing her work in international courts and as UN high commissioner for human rights.
Born in Durban to a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid, Pillay began her career challenging racial discrimination and defending apartheid opponents. She went on to serve as UN high commissioner for human rights, an International Criminal Court judge, president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice.
The commission she chaired concluded in a 2025 report that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a finding Israel rejects. The prize will be presented in Oslo on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
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