‘Anti-Israel Circus’: Jerusalem Slams New UN Report Accusing Israel of Genocidal Acts and Sexual Violence

Latest Developments

Israel Slams UN Report: Israel rejected a March 13 United Nations report accusing the IDF of the “systematic use of sexual” violence during its campaign against Hamas following the terrorist organization’s October 7, 2023, atrocities. The findings were published by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, a “fact-finding” mission established in 2021. Chris Sidoti, an Australian member of the commission, said that the “report finds that Israel has increasingly employed gender-based violence against Palestinians” as well as “genocidal acts” in Gaza. Israel’s mission to the United Nations dismissed the accusations, saying they were based on “second-hand, single, uncorroborated sources.”
Netanyahu Calls Report Antisemitic: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labeled the UNHRC an “anti-Israel circus” after the report’s publication, describing it as “an antisemitic, rotten, terrorist-supporting, and irrelevant body.” In a statement, Netanyahu declared that “Instead of focusing on the crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Hamas terrorist organization in the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, the UN is once again choosing to attack Israel with false accusations, including unfounded accusations of sexual violence.”
Hamas Lauds Report: Hamas released a statement on March 13 welcoming the UNHRC commission’s report, saying “the UN’s investigation report on Israel’s genocidal acts against the Palestinian people confirms what has happened on the ground: genocide and violations of all humanitarian and legal standards.” The Gaza-based terrorist group still holds 59 of the 251 hostages it kidnapped, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

FDD Expert Response

“The one fact we gleaned from this report was one we have known for years: that the structural anti-Israel bias within the United Nations and its agencies predisposes the world body to demonizing the Jewish state. The United States and other allies of Israel need to squarely confront this trend, which is almost as old as the United Nations itself.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director

“Hamas and other Palestinians raped and pillaged their way through southern Israel on October 7, 2023. So, naturally, the UN Human Rights Council produced a report full of unverifiable claims accusing Israel of sexual and gender-based violence. The only thing this report proves is that the Human Rights Council and its commission of inquiry to investigate Israel are hopelessly biased and should be dismantled.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst