UN envoy: Sde Teiman case showed Israel not taking sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners seriously

UN Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten says Jerusalem failed to coordinate with her office on implementing accountability measures to counter alleged sexual violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Patten’s comments at a press conference come after Israel said it cut ties with the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who placed Israel’s security forces on his blacklist of entities said to be credibly accused of sexual violence in war zones, citing alleged abuse of Palestinian inmates.

“For instance, with regard to the emblematic Sde Teiman case, not only was sexual violence not in the indictment, but the charges were even dropped altogether by the Military Advocate General,” Patten says, referring to the reported abuse of a Palestinian inmate after what an indictment said was the “insertion of an object in the anus” by guards in July 2024. Charges were later tossed due to prosecutorial misconduct.

“This is the case that had triggered demonstrations by some Knesset members to protest against the arrest of the soldiers, including attacks on the Sde Teiman camp and those investigating the case.

UN SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten: "I mentioned the Sde Teiman case. This is an emblematic case which shows the total lack of accountability. I mean the evidence was solid. The Commission of Inquiry made it very clear that there was solid evidence of sexual… https://t.co/1n6HFUxd85 pic.twitter.com/3AGjHMdZjX

— Rami Ayari (@Raminho) May 29, 2026

“On the issue of denial of access to UN monitors, the Government of Israel in its submission maintains that it will not provide access on account of what it alleges to be ‘institutional bias in UN bodies and mechanisms.’ It also confirmed that since 7 October 2023, ICRC has been denied access to detention facilities due to ‘security concerns,'” Patten says.

Israel shared its full legal and oversight framework with the UN, including regulations, complaint mechanisms, and its practice of filing indictments where warranted, UN Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said yesterday, adding that he personally held multiple meetings with Patten and her team.

According to Danon, Israel had also arranged for senior officials from the Prison Service, the military and the Justice Ministry to meet with Patten’s delegation, but she canceled trips to Israel due to technical issues and the security situation in the region, though Israel never blocked the visits.

Patten confirms at the news briefing that there had been an invitation from Israel, but referred also to disagreements about the scope of the visit and related issues of access and cooperation, and said it ultimately had to be suspended due to the war in Gaza.