From the Liveblog of
Friday, June 7, 2024
UN adds Israel to ‘list of shame’ for alleged rights violations against children during war; Netanyahu: ‘Delusional’
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Israel and Hamas have been added to the United Nations’ so-called “list of shame,” which is attached to an annual report submitted by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s office that documents rights violations against children in armed conflict.
This is the first time that Israel and Hamas have been included on this list, joining the ranks of Russia, the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Yemen and Syria. The allegations against Israel mean that it is believed to be the first democratic country included on the list.
Previous reports included chapters on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which accused Israel of grave rights violations against children.
However, Israel was never included in the annex at the end of the report of “listed parties that have not put in place measures during the reporting period to improve the protection of children.” This annex is what has become known as the “list of shame.”
Jerusalem has fumed over the announcement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, “The UN has put itself on the blacklist of history today when it joined the supporters of the Hamas murderers. The IDF is the most moral army in the world and no delusional decision by the UN will change that.”
The Israeli Mission to the UN filmed Gilad Erdan receiving the formal notification on Friday from Guterres’s chief of staff.
“You know that Israel’s army is the most moral army in the world. This immoral decision will only aid the terrorists and reward Hamas. The only one who is blacklisted today is the secretary-general whose decisions since the war started and even before are rewarding terrorists, incentivizing them to use children for terror acts.
“Now Hamas will continue even more to use schools and hospitals because this shameful decision of the secretary-general will only give Hamas hope to survive and will only extend the war, and extend the suffering. Shame on him,” Erdan declares.
