UN's blacklist of Israeli entities is part of 'reckless game' erasing moral distinction - editorial

In yet another moral and institutional failure by the United Nations, the international body decided to add Israeli institutions to a blacklist of actors accused of committing sexual violence in conflict.

Israel has claimed that heavy pressure was exerted on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to include Israeli entities on the list, following Hamas’s inclusion in August 2025, when Israel was also placed “on notice” for possible future inclusion.

In response, Israel froze relations with Guterres and canceled the planned visit of Pramila Patten, the UN special representative on sexual violence in conflict.

But while the UN deserves condemnation for this false equivalence, Israel must also recognize the dangerous vacuum created when allegations of abuse are not addressed decisively and transparently at home. Failure to pursue justice gives hostile international actors the ammunition they seek to further isolate and harass the Jewish state.

By contrast, the allegations surrounding Israeli institutions involve individual incidents, not state policy.

Five soldiers from the Force 100 counterterrorism unit were indicted for alleged torture and sexual assault against Palestinian detainees beginning as early as fall 2023. Among the accusations was the alleged sodomizing of a Palestinian detainee.

The case sparked fierce controversy across Israel’s political spectrum. Some voiced reluctance to punish the soldiers due to the intense emotions still surrounding the October 7 massacre and the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists, some of whom had been detained at Sde Teiman.

Others argued that any crime must be investigated and punished regardless of the identity of the victim or perpetrator, and that Israel’s moral and legal standards cannot be conditional.

This past March, IDF Military Advocate-General Maj.-Gen. Itay Offir ordered that the indictments against the five soldiers be dismissed, citing evidentiary difficulties, as well as complications stemming from leaked footage connected to the investigation.

For some Israelis, the closure of the case marked the end of what they viewed as a “blood libel” against soldiers operating under impossible wartime conditions.

For others, however, the decision raised serious concerns about Israel’s legal credibility before the International Criminal Court and the broader international community.

Critics feared that failing to prosecute or fully investigate such allegations would strengthen claims that Israel is either unwilling or unable to police misconduct within its own ranks. Indeed, this is precisely where the danger lies.

The UN is playing a reckless and deeply irresponsible game by equating Hamas’s systematic use of sexual violence against civilians and hostages with isolated allegations involving Israeli prison guards.

Doing so cheapens the gravity of Hamas’s crimes while further eroding the credibility of international institutions that claim to uphold human rights impartially.

At the same time, Israel cannot afford to dismiss every allegation outright or allow legitimate accusations to become politicized until they collapse under public pressure.

Israel’s enemies will continue searching for every possible avenue to delegitimize the country, regardless of what it does.

But Israel must ensure that it never gives them legitimate grounds to do so, including maintaining clear moral distinctions.

That means aggressively investigating credible allegations and maintaining clear moral distinctions between a democratic state governed by law and a terrorist organization that glorifies rape and murder as instruments of war.