Navi Pillay, head of UN commission that accused Israel of genocide, wins Nobel Peace Prize

Former UN human rights chief Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a judge on the International Court of Justice, wins the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway.

The South Africa-born Pillay, 85, is being recognized for her efforts to promote peace and international law, says Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

“At a time when the number of wars and conflicts is rising, and when judges and institutions of international law are under political attack, the Nobel Committee wishes to issue a reminder that the ability to resolve conflicts without force or violence is dependent on the international rule of law,” the committee writes in a news release.

“An international legal system in which war criminals are held to account and the victims of abuse see justice served is a precondition for a peaceful world.”

Pillay was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, during which time she frequently criticized Israel’s actions.

In 2014, over 100 members of US Congress signed a letter to Pillay decrying the UNHRC’s bias against Israel under her leadership, saying the council “simply cannot be taken seriously as a human rights organization” while it was probing Israel but not Hamas.

She formerly served as the chair of a UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry into the Palestinian territories, which in 2025 accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza in a bid to “destroy the Palestinians.”

Israel has denied all accusations of genocide in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Pillay, at the time, said, “It is that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”

Efforts to reach Pillay by phone have not immediately been successful.

The award is often considered the world’s most prestigious honor.