From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Israel asks US, others to convene UN Security Council on October 7 rape report
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Israel has asked eight member countries to convene the UN Security Council for an emergency session on special representative Pramila Patten’s report accusing Hamas of sexual crimes on October 7 and beyond.
The countries are the US, UK, France, Malta, Ecuador, Japan, Slovenia, and Switzerland, Foreign Minister Israel Katz’s office tells The Times of Israel.
“With grave urgency,” wrote UN Ambassador Gilan Erdan to his counterparts, “I request that you call to convene an emergency Security Council meeting, following yesterday’s release of SRSG Paten’s [sic] mission report on the horrific atrocities perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli women and girls on October 7th.”
“The Security Council must fully commit itself to ensuring the immediate end of Hamas’ sexual crimes, and work to secure the release of all hostages,” he continued, also asking them to designate Hamas a terror organization.
Erdan also asks UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to convene the body, though it is the member states that typically do so. Guterres invoked the rarely used Article 99 to convene the Security Council in December to raise the alarm about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The Times of Israel Community.