Israel Cuts Ties With UN Secretary-General After Inclusion on Sexual Violence ‘Blacklist’
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Diplomatic Breach Over UN Human Rights Listing
Israel has formally severed ties with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, marking a precipitous decline in relations between the state and the international body. The move comes after the UN added Israel to its restrictive “blacklist” of parties suspected of or responsible for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in armed conflict zones.
The escalation followed the preview of the Secretary-General’s annual report, a document traditionally shared with relevant member states before its official publication. The report, which has been foreshadowed since last August, identifies systemic patterns of sexual violence allegedly perpetrated by Israeli security forces. In a stark reaction, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon announced that Israel is “done” with Guterres, stating in a video posted to X that the country will maintain no contact with the Secretary-General’s office for the remainder of his term.
“The decision to blacklist Israel and accuse us of using sexual violence as a weapon of war is an outrageous decision,” Danon stated, arguing that the listing erroneously places Israeli forces on the same level as Hamas terrorists.
Systemic Allegations and the UN’s Rationale
The UN’s decision is grounded in what officials describe as “credible information” regarding the treatment of Palestinian detainees. According to the UN, there is evidence of sexual violence committed by security forces within prisons and detention centers. These findings are compounded by a reported lack of transparency, as UN inspectors have allegedly been denied access to the facilities in question.
Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, described the listing as “long overdue,” citing independently documented and verified accounts of large-scale sexual violence against Palestinian men, women, and children. This sentiment is echoed by reports from the West Bank Protection Consortium, which recently found that gender-based abuse by Israeli soldiers and settlers has become a primary driver for Palestinians fleeing the occupied West Bank.
The scope of these allegations extends beyond detention centers. Activists recently detained from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla reported at least 15 separate cases of sexual assault or rape while in Israeli custody. Similarly, reporting by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times—based on testimonies from 14 victims—detailed accounts of rape by Israeli forces, a report that the Israeli government responded to by threatening legal action against the publication.
A Fraught Relationship Reaches Breaking Point
The current diplomatic freeze is the culmination of a volatile relationship that has deteriorated since the October 7, 2023, attacks. Israel has frequently accused Guterres of bias and has criticized the UN’s condemnation of its military operations in Gaza. This tension reached a critical point in 2024 when the Israeli government declared the UN Secretary-General “persona non grata.”
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein characterized the UN as a “politicised and corrupt organisation” that has abandoned its founding principles to systematically target Israel. Danon further claimed that the UN ignored invitations to visit Israel and verify the facts on the ground, choosing instead to rely on what he termed “ridiculous allegations.”
Despite the hostility from the Israeli mission, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General, maintained a neutral stance, stating that Guterres’s door “remains open” for dialogue. However, with the Israeli mission vowing a total communications blackout, the prospect of diplomatic resolution appears unlikely in the immediate future.
