In addition to Israel, Hamas and Islamic Jihad will also be added to the UN’s blacklist of offenders for committing violations against children in 2023, a diplomatic source told Reuters on Friday.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres added the IDF to the blacklist of countries and entities that harm children during conflict.
The list also includes Russia and terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State (ISIS), Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said following the decision, “I am utterly shocked and disgusted by this shameful decision of the Secretary-General. You know that Israel’s army is the most moral army in the world and you know it. This is an immoral decision that only aids terrorism and rewards Hamas."
"And I have to tell you another thing: The only one who is blacklisted today is the Secretary-General whose decisions since the war started, and even before, are rewarding terrorists and incentivizing them to use children for terror acts. Now Hamas will continue even more to use schools and hospitals because this shameful decision of the Secretary-General will only give Hamas hope to survive and extend the war and extend the suffering. Shame on him!”
Foreign Minister Israel Katz blasted Guterres over the decision to blacklist Israel, warning, “The Secretary-General's measure will have consequences for Israel's relations with the UN.”
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)