Israel is considering severing cooperation with the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after Israeli security forces were included in the organization's annual report on sexual violence in conflict zones.
This was stated by Israel's permanent representative to the UN Danny Danon, according to The New York Times.
He said that Jerusalem had received information about the inclusion of Israel and its security forces on the relevant list, which covers countries suspected of committing sexual violence during armed conflict. Danon called the decision “a deviation from reality“ and unacceptable.
He also accused the UN leadership of bias and said that the organization had not properly investigated the allegations. Israel does not agree to its forces being listed alongside Hamas fighters.
For his part, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric called Israel's statement "symbolic" and noted that it was unlikely to affect further cooperation between the countries. He stressed that the UN would continue to engage with the Israeli mission.
It was previously reported that the UN had blacklisted both Israeli security forces and Russian armed forces, as well as Hamas, as part of its annual report on sexual violence in conflict zones.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the decision was contained in a new report covering the situation until 2025. For the first time, the UN has included Russian and Israeli security forces in its annual list of countries involved in sexual violence in armed conflict.
The document also notes that the Russian military and security forces were included in the list due to documented cases of sexual violence against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians held in custody in the occupied territories or in Russia.