UN blacklists Israel, Russia over sexual violence

Report contains harrowing descriptions of abuses by two countries

UNITED NATIONS:

The United Nations on Friday added Israel and Russia to a UN blacklist of countries suspected of committing sexual violence in conflict zones, a move that prompted Israel's foreign ministry to say it would sever all ties with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Guterres' annual report to the UN Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence goes a step further than last year, when he put Israel and Russia "on notice" that they could be added to the list of parties "credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence."

The latest report does that and contains harrowing descriptions of abuses at the hands of Israeli and Russian armed and security forces.

Israel's arch enemy Hamas, whose October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza, was already on the blacklist and in a post on X on Thursday, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said ranking Israel with the militant group marked a "new low".

"This is a political decision! Disconnected from the facts and reality!" Danon said in another post by the Israeli mission to the U.N. which said he was informed about it during a phone call with Guterres.

Russia's UN mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report, which Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, welcomed in a post on X.

Being added to the list does not automatically carry specific punitive measures such as sanctions, although public naming and shaming can cause significant reputational damage for the states involved, and those repeatedly listed are barred from UN peacekeeping operations.

Danon said Israel had responded in detail to each allegation and had invited UN representatives to visit and examine the situation, but that they had chosen not to do so.

"Given that Antonio Guterres has chosen to violate every standard of honesty, integrity and professionalism, Israel has decided to sever all ties with the Secretary-General's Office and will wait until a new U.N. Secretary-General is appointed," Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X.

A new UN secretary-general is due to be appointed later this year.

The report's compiler, Pramila Patten, Guterres' special representative on sexual violence in conflict, confirmed at a news briefing that there had been an invitation from Israel, but referred also to disagreements about the scope of the visit and related issues of access and cooperation, and said it ultimately had to be suspended due to the war in Gaza.

She said cases of conflict-related sexual violence verified by the United Nations globally rose by more than 100% in 2025 over 2024 and called it a very disturbing trend that was still only the "very tip of the iceberg."