UN Includes Israel in Global Child Rights Violations List
6232 Mins Read
The United Nations has included Israel in the global list of states and armed groups that have violated the rights of children, as stated by the country’s UN representative, Gilad Erdan.
This decision comes after eight months of conflict in Gaza, resulting in the tragic deaths of over 13,000 children out of the estimated 36,500 fatalities. Furthermore, it follows the disturbing event of the Israeli bombing of a UN school in central Gaza, claiming the lives of more than 40 Palestinians, including children.
According to human rights officials, Hamas is implicated in the report for its actions involving the killing and kidnapping of children during its 7 October attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 Israelis.
Erdan expressed deep shock and disgust at the “shameful” decision to include Israel in this year’s list, part of a report on children and armed conflict due to be presented to the UN security council. The UN report covers grave violations against children, including killing, maiming, sexual abuse, abduction, denial of aid access, and targeting of schools and hospitals.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the UN’s decision, stating that it had “added itself to the black list of history” by supporting “Hamas murderers.” Similarly, Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, warned of the impact on the country’s already strained relations with the UN, particularly in light of its refusal to engage with the UN Relief and Works Agency.
The inclusion of Israel on the list has sparked controversy, with claims that Israel had previously been omitted from the list under political pressure. Ezequiel Heffes, the director of the human rights group Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, emphasized the importance of the UN report in urging parties to take actions to prevent future violations and mitigate harm to children.
Erdan, having received notification of the decision from the chief of staff to the UN secretary general, António Guterres, expressed his outrage in a video on social media, defending Israel’s army as the “most moral army in the world.” He strongly criticized the decision as immoral and stated that it would only aid the terrorists and reward Hamas.
