UN Places Israel on Sexual Violence Blacklist: Palestine's Envoy Demands Security Council Action

Specific Israeli entities listed include the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Prison Service (including the 'Nachshon' Unit and Keter special forces), the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), and the Police Counter-Terrorism Unit . The report described patterns including repeated gang rapes and the use of sexual violence as a form of torture .

Global Context: A Sharp Rise in Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

The 2026 report also documented a dramatic global increase in conflict-related sexual violence, with verified cases more than doubling from the previous year to nearly 10,000 worldwide. Special Representative Pramila Patten described cases as "marked by extreme brutality" and overwhelmingly targeting women and girls . A total of 77 parties — including state and non-state actors — were listed in the annex .

Palestine's Envoy Demands Accountability

During the July 9, 2026 Security Council session on conflict-related sexual violence, Palestine's Permanent Observer to the UN, Riyad Mansour, issued an urgent call for action. Mansour urged the Council to hold Israel accountable for violations against Palestinians and to ensure international investigators have unrestricted access to the occupied Palestinian territories .

"The Security Council cannot remain silent. It should act," Mansour stated, flanked by ambassadors from the Arab Group and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation . He stressed that those who committed crimes of sexual violence must face justice and that impunity should no longer be tolerated .

Israel's Fury: Severed Ties and Accusations of Bias

Israel reacted with fury to the listing. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon accused the UN of "unjustly singling out Israel" and alleged that heavy political pressure was exerted on Secretary-General António Guterres to include Israel after Hamas was already on the same list .

Danon announced Israel was severing ties with Guterres, demanded the release of all internal emails and communications related to the blacklisting decision, and called for the resignation of Special Representative Pramila Patten . The Israeli Foreign Ministry characterized the listing as a "clearly biased and politicised decision" .

A Controversy Over Verification

The controversy deepened when Patten was quoted stating she had not personally viewed evidence, saying "I made it clear to Israel I would not visit any detention facility, even if offered. It's not the responsibility of my office to do any verification" . This admission drew sharp criticism from Israeli officials and some commentators .

Saudi Arabia and the EU Call for Action

During the July 2026 Security Council debate, key international actors pressed for accountability.

Saudi Arabia, acting through the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), welcomed the UN's inclusion of Israel on the sexual violence list and called for the blacklisting to be "followed by action" against Israel . The OIC described the listing as a legal and humanitarian victory for Palestinian victims and urged the international community to hold Israel accountable .

The European Union called for full accountability and unimpeded access for international investigators to the occupied Palestinian territories. The EU stressed that the UN findings must lead to concrete consequences and that all parties, including Israel, must comply with international humanitarian law . EU delegates emphasized that the listing "should not remain symbolic but must translate into meaningful accountability measures" .

Legal Implications and Limitations

While the UN blacklist carries significant political weight, legal experts caution against interpreting it as a judicial finding. "The blacklist is not a court ruling," Harout Ekmanian, an international law expert, told Arab News . However, under Security Council resolution 2242 (2015), state actors repeatedly listed on the annex are prohibited from participating in UN peacekeeping operations .

What Comes Next

The listing has intensified the already fraught relationship between Israel and the UN. The Security Council has not yet taken formal action following the July 9 debate, with members reportedly in informal consultations on next steps . Both the OIC and the EU have signaled they will continue to press for accountability mechanisms, though the path forward remains uncertain given the geopolitical divisions within the Council.

For now, the UN's blacklisting stands as the most formal international documentation of conflict-related sexual violence attributed to Israeli forces, setting the stage for ongoing diplomatic confrontations at the UN over accountability in the Israel-Palestine conflict.