Michal Herzog condemns UN’s inclusion of Israel on sexual-violence blacklist

First Lady Michal Herzog decries Israel’s inclusion in a United Nations report on conflict-related sexual violence.

“Outrage. Disgrace. Disappointment. I cannot choose the right word for how I feel when reading the UN Secretary-General’s report on conflict-related sexual violence,” she says, in a statement posted to President Isaac Herzog’s account on X.

“As someone who has met with and seen the pain and suffering of the hostages who returned home from unbearable captivity in the dungeons of Gaza, I ask: how can one accept a one-sided report that begins with a paragraph claiming that their accounts of sexual violence cannot be verified?” the first lady writes.

The report says the hostages’ testimonies could not be verified due to “the continued denial of access by the Government of Israel to competent United Nations bodies to carry out investigations.”

The report says the UN has verified some of the claims of abuse by Israeli authorities, though it does not immediately detail how.

“To the brave hostages who endured the hell of sexual violence at the hands of terrorists and returned home: We believe you. We are here for you. And your voices will be heard,” Herzog writes.

The first lady has been a leading vocal advocate in a campaign to expose the Hamas terror group’s systematic use of sexual violence against women during and after its October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel from Gaza, which set off the subsequent war.

Nava Freiberg contributed to this report.