A sharp diplomatic storm erupted Thursday at the United Nations after the international body made a dramatic political decision to add Israel to its blacklist of countries and organizations committing sexual violence in conflict zones—placing it alongside brutal terror groups like Hamas and ISIS.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon responded this morning with fierce condemnation, calling the move a distorted decision that amounts to a blood libel against the state. Danon emphasized the decision came after the UN chose to completely ignore detailed evidence files and documents Israel presented, marking a new political low in the organization’s relationship with Jerusalem.
The UN’s decision to place the Israel Defense Forces and the State of Israel on the sexual violence blacklist alongside Hamas and ISIS has met a wall of opposition and aggressive advocacy from Israel’s official delegation in New York.
Danon issued an official, unequivocal statement attacking the motives behind the report and decision, making clear this is a distinctly political move disconnected from reality. Danon revealed what happened behind the scenes in diplomatic dealings with UN officials, noting that Israel acted with full transparency and presented the facts but encountered deliberate obtuseness.
In a post on X, Danon wrote: “This is a political decision! Disconnected from the facts and from reality! Israel provided evidence, documents and detailed responses to every claim. We invited UN representatives to come to the field and examine things up close, and they of course chose not to do so. When facts don’t fit the narrative, the UN simply changes the narrative.”
Danon made clear that Israel’s legal and advocacy campaign won’t stop following the organization’s decision, and that the state will use every diplomatic tool at its disposal to refute these serious accusations in the international arena: “We will continue to stand on the truth, and expose the blood libels from every possible platform. The truth will prevail.”
It should be noted that the UN’s unprecedented decision likely stemmed, in part, from the controversy surrounding the investigation into Force 100 fighters in Sde Teyman, as well as the circulation of edited footage related to the incident. The episode received significant international attention and was later cited by critics of Israel within international institutions, contributing to efforts to place the country on the list, despite Israeli claims that the material presented was misleading and lacked proper context.