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Israel's warning: UN chief threatens to include sexual violence report
The UN Secretary General warns Israel against possible mention in the upcoming report on sexual violence. Concerns have been raised about incidents targeting Palestinians in detention and military bases.
Israel's warning: UN chief threatens to include sexual violence report
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has warned Israel of possible mention in an upcoming UN report on sexual violence. According to the spokesman for the Israeli UN mission, this warning came in a letter Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the UN, on Monday.
Important warning from the UN
“I am informing the Israel Defense Forces and Security Forces that they may be included in the next reporting cycle due to significant concerns about repeated patterns of specific forms of sexual violence documented by the United Nations,” Guterres wrote in his letter.
Reports of sexual violence in the conflict
The UN Office of the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict publishes an annual report entitled “Conflict-Related Sexual Violence,” which documents sexual violence committed in armed conflict.
Concern about injuries
Guterres raised concerns about “credible information regarding violations committed by Israeli forces and security forces against Palestinians in several prisons, a detention center and a military base.” He called on Israel to take the “necessary measures to immediately end all acts of sexual violence.”
Report from B'Tselem
A Report 2024 Israel's leading human rights organization B'Tselem confirmed that sexual violence was repeatedly perpetrated by soldiers or prison guards against Palestinian prisoners. The IDF repeatedly denied allegations of systematic abuses.
Prison Facilities in Israel
Israel operates several prisons that house Palestinians, including Sde Teiman and Ketziot in the Negev Desert, and Megiddo and Gilboa near the West Bank.
Response to quick action
Last summer, following a petition from human rights groups based on reports from CNN hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were transferred from Sde Teiman.
Resistance from Israel
Responding to the letter on Tuesday, Danon said the "secretary-general is once again taking up baseless allegations rooted in biased publications" and called on the UN to focus on Hamas' sexual violence. In March, a UN commission found that Israel had "increasingly used sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence" against Palestinians.
UN reports on sexual abuse
Last year, a UN team also found "clearly and convincingly" that hostages in Gaza were sexually abused and that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that this sexual violence was ongoing. Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, reported “reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, occurred during the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.”
CNN's Catherine Nicholls contributed reporting.