Israeli forces accused of committing sexual violence, claims United Nations leader
The United Nations has uncovered credible evidence of patterns of sexual violence and other violations by Israeli armed and security forces against detained Palestinians, particularly in detention settings. These alarming findings include reports of genital violence, prolonged forced nudity, and repeated degrading strip searches.
However, verification has been challenging due to restricted access for UN monitors in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which limits definitive determination of systematicity.
As a result, the UN Secretary-General has put Israeli forces "on notice" for potential listing in an upcoming report on conflict-related sexual violence, reflecting significant concerns about abuses in detention and urging immediate action to stop such violations.
The UN calls on all parties to conflict to implement specific preventive actions as outlined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2467 (2019). These include issuing clear orders through the chain of command prohibiting sexual violence, establishing accountability mechanisms for perpetrators, ensuring unimpeded access for UN entities to monitor and provide services, and engaging with UN Special Representatives to provide technical support for prevention and response.
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has written a letter expressing concern about these reported sexual violations and other abuses against Palestinians. He has also asked Israel's government to make specific time-bound commitments and allow unimpeded access for UN monitors.
In addition, UN human rights experts have called for an end to broader violence and abuses by Israeli state forces and settlers in the West Bank, emphasising concerns about systemic violence, intimidation, and forced displacement of Palestinian communities that exacerbate humanitarian crises and violations of human rights.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously lashed out at the UN Human Rights Council, which commissioned the team of independent experts, as an "anti-Israel circus." The Israeli UN ambassador, Danny Danon, has dismissed the allegations of sexual violence and other violations against Palestinians by Israeli military and security forces as "baseless accusations" and "steeped in biased publications."
The ongoing war in Gaza has resulted in more than 61,400 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, with about half being women and children. In March, UN-backed human rights experts accused Israel of the systematic use of sexual, reproductive, and other gender-based violence.
Recently, Danon referred to a militant group's attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, where about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage, and accused the UN of focusing on the war crimes and sexual violence of Hamas.
The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has documented a range of violations perpetrated against Palestinians, including rape and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. The UN urges comprehensive steps for prevention, accountability, and UN monitoring to halt these violations.
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