The United Kingdom has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council after Israel was placed on a UN blacklist of state and non-state actors implicated in conflict-related sexual violence. This marks the first time Israel has been included on this list, a designation typically reserved for regimes and militias with documented patterns of rape and sexual assault as weapons of war.
The UN’s annual report on children and armed conflict, published on Tuesday, cited credible allegations of sexual violence against Palestinian children by Israeli forces during operations in the West Bank and Gaza. The report documented 14 incidents in 2023, including the rape of a 16-year-old boy and the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl. Israel’s inclusion on the blacklist triggers mandatory reporting to the Security Council and potential sanctions, though the UK is pushing for immediate action.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the allegations as “deeply troubling” and confirmed that the UK would table a resolution demanding a full investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC). “Sexual violence in conflict is a crime against humanity, regardless of the perpetrator,” Lammy told Parliament. “We cannot allow a double standard to persist where some states are held accountable and others are not.”
The move has strained UK-Israel relations, already tense over the Gaza conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the UN report as “baseless slander” and accused the UK of “rewarding terrorism.” Israeli officials have pointed to Hamas’s use of sexual violence during the October 7 attacks, which the UN also documented in the same report.
The blacklist is part of the UN’s Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) established in 2005 to track grave violations against children. While the list carries no automatic punitive measures, it serves as a powerful reputational tool. In 2022, Saudi Arabia was removed after threatening to cut funding to UN agencies. Israel’s inclusion is likely to provoke a similar backlash.
Human rights organisations have welcomed the UK’s stance. “For too long, Israel has operated with impunity,” said Yasmine Ahmed, director of Human Rights Watch UK. “This is a critical step towards ending the cycle of violence against Palestinian children.” But critics warn the blacklist risks politicisation. “The UN is once again singling out Israel while ignoring far worse abuses in Syria, Myanmar, and elsewhere,” said Jonathan Sacerdoti, a fellow at the Henry Jackson Society.
The UK’s resolution is expected to face resistance from the United States, which historically shields Israel from Security Council actions. However, Lammy argued that the evidence is clear: “We have a moral duty to act. The rule of law must apply equally to all.”
The report also highlighted the sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7, naming the group specifically. But it is Israel’s inclusion that has dominated headlines, reflecting global divisions over the conflict. As the Security Council convenes, the UK will be pushing for a transparent process that holds all parties accountable.
For now, the blacklist serves as a stark reminder: no nation is immune from accountability when children are subjected to systematic sexual violence. The question is whether the international community will act on that principle or allow geopolitics to erode justice.
