Israel has reacted sharply to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay. The Foreign Ministry described the decision as a “grotesque use of an award as a weapon to legitimize hatred and prejudice against Israel“, reports “The Times of Israel“.
The ministry said that if there were a prize “for lies, hatred and bloody slander“, Pillay would be among the favorites. "Her role in the relentless, politically motivated demonization of Israel and the spread of the lie of genocide speaks for itself," the statement said.
“Now that the Nobel Committee has rewarded the biggest lie of the 21st century, Joseph Goebbels is surely applauding from hell,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on the social network X.The UN Commission Controversy
Navi Pillay is a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and a judge at the International Court of Justice. She headed the UN's independent international commission of inquiry into the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. The committee accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, an accusation Israel denies.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the prize to 85-year-old Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law. In its citation, the committee said that resolving conflicts without force and violence depends on the rule of international law.
The chairman of the committee, Jørgen Vatne Fridnes, said the Nobel Committee was not the court that should decide whether Israel's military operation in Gaza constituted genocide. He said the issue was a matter for the UN commission of inquiry, but the final decision was within the competence of the International Court of Justice.
Israel's reaction has put the prize at the centre of a new debate over the role of international law and the assessment of the country's actions in Gaza. At this stage, there is no indication that the Israeli government has taken any additional diplomatic measures due to the decision.
Sources: news.bg, timesofisrael.com