Gaza Herald _Tensions flared at the United Nations during a public session marking the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, as a heated exchange unfolded between Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, and senior UN officials amid growing international criticism of Israel over alleged violations against Palestinian children.
The confrontation came as Israel faces increasing pressure following a series of UN reports documenting violations in the occupied Palestinian territories. During the session, Danon called for the resignation of Pramila Patten, accusing her of bias after Israel was included for the first time on a UN blacklist linked to conflict-related violations cited in one of her reports.
Addressing Patten directly, Danon claimed that she had “surrendered to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ obsession with targeting Israel,” launching a sharp criticism of the UN leadership and its handling of reports concerning Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories.
His remarks prompted an immediate response from Virginia Gamba, who requested a point of order and urged the Israeli envoy to refrain from personal attacks. She defended the credibility of UN reporting mechanisms, emphasizing that the findings were based on documented evidence and established monitoring procedures.
The exchange quickly escalated when Danon reacted angrily to the intervention, demanding that the UN official stop interrupting him. He insisted that Israel, as a member state, had the right to voice its concerns and dismissed the UN findings in unusually confrontational terms, deepening the tension inside the chamber.
The dispute unfolded against the backdrop of growing UN concern over the situation of Palestinian children. A report submitted this week on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Israeli settler groups could potentially be added to a global blacklist because of documented violations against children. The report also highlighted what it described as a dramatic rise in abuses affecting Palestinian minors.
Israel is already listed in the UN’s annual report on children and armed conflict, often referred to as the “list of shame,” due to grave violations committed against children during armed conflict. The inclusion has become a major point of contention between Israeli officials and UN agencies, with Israeli representatives repeatedly challenging the findings and accusing the organization of political bias.
The latest clash follows earlier Israeli criticism of a report issued by Patten, which Israeli officials condemned as another example of what they described as unfair treatment by the United Nations. The growing disagreement has further strained relations between Israel and the organization at a time when international scrutiny over the humanitarian and human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories continues to intensify.
In a sign of the deepening rift, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has also announced plans to suspend all forms of communication with Secretary-General Guterres, whose current term is scheduled to conclude later this year. The move reflects an increasingly confrontational relationship between Israeli authorities and senior UN officials as debates over accountability, civilian protection, and the rights of Palestinian children continue to dominate discussions within the international body.
