RAMALLAH, May 30, 2026 (WAFA) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates voiced its support for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres amid Israeli efforts to exert pressure on a UN report that places Israel and its occupation authorities on the “list of shame” for parties accused of committing conflict-related sexual violence.
The Ministry said that Israel, through its official and unofficial institutions, has committed acts of torture, sexual violence and rape against the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly against Palestinian detainees held in detention centers, detention camps and prisons, as well as against international solidarity activists.
It stressed that Israel has systematically employed sexual violence as a weapon of war, constituting both a war crime and a crime against humanity, and has likewise used starvation as a weapon of war throughout its genocidal campaign.
The Ministry added that these practices are part of a systematic and widespread policy pursued by Israel, the illegal occupying power, over many years to intimidate the Palestinian people and create coercive conditions aimed at their forcible displacement.
It affirmed that the inclusion of the Israeli occupation authorities and their institutions on the UN list of shame for perpetrators of sexual violence in armed conflicts is an objective, evidence-based, and well-founded outcome of sustained diplomatic efforts, particularly in light of Israel’s illegal occupation of the occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem.
The Ministry pointed to extensive Palestinian and UN documentation, numerous international reports, and testimonies submitted by the State of Palestine and Palestinian victims who were subjected to various forms of sexual violence, torture, and abuse during detention, interrogation, and imprisonment. It welcomed the UN and international efforts that contributed to these findings.
The Ministry also noted that the Israeli occupation army had previously been included on the UN list of shame for parties responsible for grave violations against children in armed conflict.
It stressed the need for the international community to act on the growing body of findings and reports issued by credible and independent UN and international bodies, activate protection mechanisms for the Palestinian people, and ensure accountability.
The Ministry stressed that the longstanding impunity enjoyed by Israel must come to an end, warning that the absence of effective international action only encourages Israel and its various instruments to persist in committing crimes against the Palestinian people.
T.R.
