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The United Nations has included the Israeli army in the list of countries committing crimes against children
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on May 30. (Credit: Abdel Karim Hana/AP)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has added the Israeli military to a global list of countries that have committed violations against children, joining Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.
The list will appear in the upcoming annual report on children in armed conflict, which will be sent to the UN Security Council next Friday, Dujarric said at a press conference.
Israel leaked the phone call: Dujarric said the Secretary-General’s Chief of Staff called the Israeli UN mission this Friday to inform it of the listing, which is a courtesy for newly listed countries.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, made a video of the call and leaked part of it on social media.
In the video, Erdan can be heard expressing his outrage over the UN’s decision, saying that Israel has “the most moral army in the world” and that the measure “encourages terrorism and acts out of hatred towards Israel.”
Dujarric said it was “shocking and unacceptable” that Erdan had issued the private call, adding it was “something I have never seen in my 24 years of service in this organisation.”
Some context: Israel’s inclusion on the list comes after eight months of devastating Israeli bombing and fighting with Hamas in Gaza. More than 15,500 children have been killed in the enclave in that time, according to the Health Ministry.
The UN “black list” previously included countries such as Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The official report will be published on June 18 and discussed in a Security Council debate on June 26. When asked about the implications for Israel, a UN spokesperson said it would be up to Council members to decide on any action.
Dujarric encouraged everyone to read the full report.