Israel Blacklisted by UN Over Conflict-Zone Violence; Tel Aviv Severs Ties with Secretary-General

The United Nations has added Israel to its 'blacklist' of nations responsible for sexual violence in conflict zones, triggering a diplomatic fallout as Tel Aviv announced it is cutting all ties with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Speaking in a video message on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, the Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, declared an end to their relationship with the cur

Strongly criticizing the upcoming annual report from the Secretary-General's office, Danon labeled the blacklisting a "despicable decision" and accused the organization of spreading fabrications by equating their actions with militant groups. The diplomatic mission confirmed they will halt all communications with Guterres's office for the remainder of his tenure.

The decision also drew fierce condemnation from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, with spokesperson Oren Marmorstein branding the UN a "politicized and corrupt" institution that has deviated from its founding principles to unfairly target a single nation. In response to the backlash, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric acknowledged the remarks but emphasized that the Secretary-General’s door for dialogue remains permanently open. Conversely, Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, welcomed the move, stating that given the documented systemic abuses against Palestinians, this accountability measure was long overdue.