The United Nations has recently added both Israel and Hamas to their “list of shame,” a controversial compilation that documents rights violations against children in armed conflict. This inclusion, which was first reported by The Times of Israel, has sparked a significant backlash, especially from Israeli officials who denounce the decision as biased and unjust.
The list has been attached to an annual report submitted by the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Notably, this is the first time that Israel and Hamas have been included on this list, which already features countries and groups such as Russia, the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Yemen, and Syria. The decision has brought considerable attention to what is believed to be the first inclusion of a democratic country, Israel, in such a context.
Historically, the UN reports have included chapters on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and have accused Israel of significant rights violations against children. However, until this year, Israel had never been included in the annex containing “listed parties that have not put in place measures during the reporting period to improve the protection of children.” This annex is commonly referred to as the “list of shame.”
The Israeli government’s response to the UN’s decision has been one of outright rejection. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the UN’s decision “delusional,” stating that the United Nations had effectively joined supporters of Hamas. “The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is the most moral army in the world, and no delusional decision by the UN will change that,” he asserted.
The Israeli Mission to the UN made a dramatic gesture by filming Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, as he received the formal notification on Friday from Secretary-General Guterres’s chief of staff. Erdan emphasized that the Israeli army operates with high moral standards and argued that the decision would inadvertently aid terrorists and “reward Hamas.” “The only one who is blacklisted today is the secretary-general whose decisions are rewarding terrorists, incentivizing them to use children for terror acts,” he said.
Erdan went further, suggesting that the UN’s decision would embolden Hamas to continue utilizing schools and hospitals for their operations, thereby extending the conflict and the suffering of those involved.
. “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,” he added.
In the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, roughly 8,000 children have been reported killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. However, this figure has not been independently verified and had previously fluctuated, dropping by roughly 6,500 children overnight last month. This inconsistency has raised questions about the reliability of the data provided by Hamas, data which the UN has incorporated into its report on children and armed conflict.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz also voiced strong objections to the UN’s decision. “The shameful decision by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to include the IDF in the blacklist is an act of villainy,” Katz stated in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. He condemned Guterres, accusing him of being anti-Semitic and ignoring the sexual crimes committed by Hamas while failing to acknowledge Israel’s right to self-defense.
Katz further underscored that the UN’s action would have repercussions on Israel’s relationship with the international body. “The IDF is the most moral army in the world — and no fictitious report will change that. This step will have consequences for Israel’s relations with the UN,” he asserted.
The controversial inclusion of Israel and Hamas in the UN’s “list of shame” highlights the fraught nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the ongoing debates over accountability and morality in wartime actions. As the fallout continues, it remains to be seen how this decision will impact future diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Nations. The episode adds to an already complex and tension-filled landscape, where accusations and counter-accusations often obscure paths to peace and resolution.
