Diplomatic decorum shattered at the United Nations on Friday when Israel's ambassador and a top UN official engaged in a fierce verbal confrontation during a public hearing. The incident occurred at a meeting in New York commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Shouting Match Erupts
Israeli envoy Danny Danon demanded the resignation of Pramila Patten, who authored a report that for the first time placed Israel on a blacklist for alleged sexual violence in conflict. Danon accused Patten of bias, stating, "You caved to the secretary-general's obsession with targeting Israel," referring to UN chief Antonio Guterres.
Vanessa Frazier, Guterres' special representative for children and armed conflict and compiler of a separate report that also blacklists Israel, interrupted by shouting a point of order. She insisted Danon refrain from "personal attacks" and claimed she had "verified evidence." Danon retorted, "We are a member state, and you work for the UN, and you will be quiet now. You will be quiet ... you and your shameful report."
Reports Blacklist Israel
Frazier, formerly Malta's UN ambassador, released her report this week on behalf of Guterres. It warned that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for violations against children, as the UN chief expressed alarm at what he termed a "staggering" increase in violations against Palestinian children. Israel itself is already included in the report's annex of shame for alleged violations.
When Patten's report was issued last month, Danon called it "a new low," and Israel's foreign ministry vowed to sever all ties with Guterres, who concludes his 10-year tenure at the end of the year. Both reports also blacklist Hamas, Israel's arch enemy.
