The United Nations is adding Israel to its so-called ‘blacklist’ of countries that have committed child abuse in armed conflicts, an Israeli diplomat has confirmed, as thousands of Palestinian children were killed in the assault continuous operation of the Israeli army against the Gaza Strip. .
In a social media post on Friday, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said he had received official notification of the decision from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“This is simply outrageous and wrong,” Erdan wrote, alongside a video of him speaking on the phone and condemning the decision.
“I reacted to this shameful decision and declared that our army is the most moral in the world. The only one on the blacklist is the Secretary General who incites and encourages terrorism and who is motivated by hatred towards Israel.
Commenting on Erdan’s remarks later in the day, Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said a U.N. official called the Israeli envoy a “courtesy extended to newly annexed countries.” » of the annual report “Children in armed conflict”.
“It’s done to warn these countries and avoid leaks,” Dujarric told reporters, adding that the report is expected to be presented to the UN Security Council on June 14 and then officially released a few days later.
“Ambassador Erdan’s video recording of this phone call, and the partial release of this recording on Twitter, is shocking and unacceptable – and frankly something I have never seen in my 24 years of service. this organization,” Dujarric said.
I have received official notification of the Secretary-General’s decision to place the Israeli army on the “blacklist” of countries and organizations that harm children. This is simply outrageous and wrong, because Hamas uses children for terrorist purposes and uses schools and hospitals… pic.twitter.com/o1civfJFAk
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) June 7, 2024
Palestinian Authority welcomes decision
The annual report on children in armed conflict lists “parties engaging in violations against children,” including killing and mutilation, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals.
Guterres was criticized by Palestinian rights advocates for not placing Israel on the so-called list of shame, which included Russia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Syria and Haiti.
The blacklist aims to expose parties involved in child abuse. But other countries can use it to restrict gun sales to criminals.
Senior Palestinian official Riad Malki welcomed the UN decision on Friday, saying the move was long overdue.
“Now, faced with the catastrophe in Gaza that the world sees with the naked eye with the genocide that specifically targets children and women, the UN Secretary General no longer has any excuses for not including Israel on the blacklist,” Malki said in a statement.
Rights groups have condemned the disastrous consequences of Israel’s bombing and siege of Gaza on Palestinian children in the enclave.
More than 36,700 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since early October, including 15,571 children, according to the Gaza government media office.
U.N. experts also said Israel’s restrictions on deliveries of food, water, medicine and other essential supplies have created a humanitarian crisis, with parts of the coastal territory at risk of famine.
Earlier this week, UNICEF, the United Nations children’s rights agency, said that nine out of ten Palestinian children in Gaza were living in “severe food poverty, surviving on a diet comprising two or more food groups.” less per day – one of the highest percentages ever recorded.”
For comparison, in 2020, only 13 percent of children in the Gaza Strip lived in severe food poverty, UNICEF said.
The World Health Organization also said last week that more than four in five Palestinian children in Gaza “did not eat for an entire day at least once in the three days” preceding a survey on insecurity eating.
Children’s Defense International-Palestine (DCIP) also reported the dire consequences of Israel’s continued military attack on Gaza on Palestinian children, thousands of whom have been seriously injured since October.
The collapse of Gaza’s health system has left many patients, including children, unable to get the care they need, the group said.
“Palestinian children who survive Israeli attacks will face a lifelong recovery from physical and psychological trauma,” Ayed Abu Eqtaish, director of DCIP’s accountability program, said in a statement Wednesday.
In testimony collected by DCIP, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy named Mohammad described his difficult journey to recovery after being shot in the back by an Israeli quadcopter in March.
He is now paralyzed in the lower part of his body.
“I spend most of my time on a mattress, lying on my back. Additionally, I suffer from ulcers from prolonged sitting and I am not cured yet. Medicines for these injuries and painkillers are expensive and my father cannot always afford them,” Mohammad told DCIP.
“I loved playing football because I was always a goalkeeper,” he said. “I also loved repairing watches and electrical appliances, but I can no longer do that because of my disability. »
In January, Save the Children said more than 10 children in Gaza were losing limbs every day.
But Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized the UN decision on Friday, calling it “shameful”.
“The (Israeli) army 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,” Katz said in a social media post.