Israel has withdrawn its UN ambassador amidst allegations that the UN Secretary General has failed to act on a report detailing evidence of sexual violence during the October 7th assault led by Hamas. The UN report, released earlier this week and broadly welcomed across Israel, suggested that sexual violence likely took place in at least three instances with reliable and persuasive information hinting at sexual abuse including rape of the hostages. The report further implied that such abuses may persist among those still held captive in Gaza.
Despite the involvement of several combatants from Hamas and other factions in the assault, the UN report could not attribute the sexual assault cases to a specific group. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz took the UN secretary general, António Guterres, to task on social media for his failure to immediately call a Security Council meeting to discuss the report or to label Hamas as a terrorist outfit. However, organising a council meeting is not within Mr Guterres’ rights as per the UN regulations but rather it rests with the council president and its members.
In response to this oversight by the UN, Mr Katz has summoned UN ambassador Gilad Erdan back home for discussions. He expressed his displeasure over Mr Guterres attempt to disregard the report and put off making the necessary decisions. Mr Katz confirmed that Mr Erdan was en route back to Israel on Tuesday. The UN spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, refuted these allegations, asserting that the report was dealt with meticulously and swiftly and the secretary general did not take any steps to ‘shelve’ the report.
Even amidst Israel and the UN’s conflict, a significant proportion of Israel acknowledged the report. President Isaac Herzog commended the report for being ‘immensely significant’ and praised it for its ‘ethical lucidity and honesty’. On the other hand, the Hostage Family Forum stated that the report unambiguously conveys the horrifying conditions endured by the female hostages every second, every minute. They’ve issued a stern warning to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the cabinet, emphasising the Israeli public will not be forgiving if they fail to secure their return.
Legal scholar and advocate for women’s rights, Ruth Halperin Kaddari, expressed perplexity on Tuesday over the decision to withdraw the Israeli ambassador from the UN. She pivoted that the report brought forward by the UN provides the highest level of confirmation that the attacks orchestrated by Hamas on October 7th involved sexual violence and gender-related war crimes.
Nevertheless, there has been escalating tension between Israel and the UN. The latter is generally viewed with distrust in Israel.
UN Secretary-General, Mr Guterres, has been vocal in criticising Israel’s military operation in Gaza. He has been advocating for an immediate and obligatory ceasefire and the release of the persons captured during the attacks in October.
Accusations of 30 staff members from UNRWA, the UN’s body for Palestinian refugees, being implicated in the attacks were raised by Israel. The chief of UNRWA, in response on Tuesday, accused Israel of attempting to destabilise its efforts. Prior to this, Mr Erdan had asked Mr Guterres to step down following his censure on the “collective punishment of Palestinians”.
A squad of experts led by Pramila Patten, the special representative of the secretary general on sexual violence in conflict, gathered the details enlisted in the UN report in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
As per the UN report, substantial difficulties were faced in determining the course of events on the day of the attack. The examination of the type of forensic evidence typically used to corroborate sexual assault cases was nearly impossible according to the report. The report also noted a strong sentiment of distrust among Israelis towards international organisations akin to the UN.
Israeli campaigners have in the past expressed discontent over the UN’s sluggish response to reports of sexual assault during the attack on October 7th. Michal Herzog, the wife of Mr Herzog, proclaimed on Israeli radio on Tuesday that the report was the “first instance in five months of a high-ranked UN official endorsing our claims from the last few months”.
Hamas shrugged off the report, labelling the findings as false, in a statement on Telegram. This article was initially published in The New York Times.