Israel has announced it is freezing relations with the office of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres after accusing the UN of placing Israeli entities on a sexual violence blacklist alongside Hamas and other militant groups, a move that has triggered sharp diplomatic backlash and intensified tensions between Israel and the global body.
The controversy emerged after Israeli officials claimed that a UN report on conflict related sexual violence had included Israeli institutions, including the Israeli Prison Service, in an annex listing entities accused of such violations. The Israeli government strongly rejected the allegations, describing them as politically motivated and factually baseless.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, led the criticism, saying in a statement shared with Fox News Digital that “We are done with this UN Secretary-General. Guterres has put Israel on the same blacklist along with Hamas, ISIS and the most depraved terrorist organizations in the world. This is a moral disgrace that proves that Guterres has lost all credibility.”
Following the claims, a spokesperson for Danon confirmed that Israel would suspend all official engagement with the Secretary-General’s office for as long as Guterres remains in the position. The move represents one of the most serious diplomatic ruptures between Israel and the United Nations in recent years, further straining already tense relations linked to the ongoing Gaza conflict and wider regional instability.
Israeli officials argued that the UN decision amounted to what they described as a “political attack” and insisted that extensive evidence had been submitted to UN representatives during prior consultations. They further stated that international delegations had been invited to visit Israel to assess the allegations directly, but said those requests were not fully acted upon.
In a strongly worded response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected the UN report and accused Secretary-General Guterres of advancing what it called a “politicised and corrupt decision.” The ministry said, “In an unfathomable inversion of reality, and through an endless stream of baseless lies, propagandist Nicholas Kristof turns the victim into the accused.”
The dispute is partly linked to earlier reporting and commentary on alleged abuses in conflict settings, including claims raised in international media and referenced in a United Nations report cited by critics of Israel. Israeli officials have consistently denied allegations of systematic misconduct, instead pointing to what they describe as Hamas atrocities during the October 7 attacks as evidence of the group’s brutality.
The UN has not publicly confirmed Israel’s inclusion on any sexual violence blacklist, and it did not immediately respond to media requests for comment on the accusations. The lack of clarification has added further uncertainty to an already sensitive diplomatic situation, with observers warning that competing narratives risk deepening mistrust between Israel and multilateral institutions.
The controversy also follows renewed criticism of the United Nations from Israeli officials, who argue that international reporting has failed to properly distinguish between state institutions and armed militant groups. They maintain that attempts to equate Israel with organisations such as Hamas represent an unfair “moral equivalence” that undermines the credibility of global accountability mechanisms.
At the centre of the backlash is Secretary-General António Guterres, whom Israeli officials accuse of allowing politically motivated narratives to influence UN reporting. The Foreign Ministry statement said Guterres had “dragged the UN to its lowest point” and accused him of violating “every standard of honesty, integrity, and professionalism.”
The decision to freeze relations marks a significant escalation in Israel’s diplomatic posture toward the United Nations, an organisation it has frequently criticised but rarely disengaged from at such a high level. Analysts say the move could complicate ongoing international efforts to monitor human rights conditions and coordinate humanitarian responses in conflict zones.
While Israel has defended its actions as necessary to protect national credibility and reject what it sees as biased reporting, critics argue that severing ties with the UN Secretary-General’s office could further isolate Israel at a time of heightened global scrutiny.
The situation remains fluid, with no immediate indication that either side is willing to step back from its position. As diplomatic pressure builds, attention is likely to focus on whether the United Nations will issue a formal clarification of its report and whether international mediators can prevent the dispute from escalating further.
