Israel freezes ties with UN chief Guterres after inclusion on conflict-related sexual violence blacklist

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, announced the suspension of relations with UN Secretary-General António Guterres after Israel was added to a UN blacklist of parties accused of committing sexual violence in conflict zones. In a post on X on Thursday, Danon described the UN decision as “political decision! Disconnected from the facts and reality!”, and announced a halt to cooperation with Guterres, saying: “Israel has decided to sever all ties with the Secretary-General’s Office.” He added that Israel would work to “correct this mistake” once a new UN secretary-general is elected in the coming months. “Israel will wait until a new UN Secretary-General is appointed,” he said. Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Israel was added to […]