Human rights organizations have criticized UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for leaving Israel off a UN list shaming countries whose armed forces have killed and maimed many children.
The list, distributed to members of the UN Security Council on Thursday, included Russia’s military and allied armed groups for killing and maiming hundreds of children in its war against Ukraine. However, it omitted Israeli forces despite killing more than 42 Palestinian children last year, according to reports.
Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour called Guterres’s decision a “big mistake” and a “disservice” to Palestinian children who have suffered under Israeli occupation and aggression.
He said that Israel should be held accountable for its violations of international law and human rights, and urged the Security Council to take action to protect Palestinian civilians.
Rights groups and activists also expressed disappointment with Guterres’s report, saying that he had “failed to hold Israel accountable for its repeated attacks on Palestinian children”.