Israel suspends relations with UN secretary-general

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations announced Thursday that the country was suspending relations with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, denouncing an expected decision to place Israel on a blacklist related to sexual violence in conflict.

“We are done with this secretary-general,” Danny Danon said in a video message posted on X. Israel’s U.N. mission later clarified that the move meant a “freeze” in relations with the secretary-general’s office until the end of Guterres’ term on Dec. 31, 2026.

“The decision to put Israel on the blacklist and accuse us of using sexual violence as a weapon of war is outrageous,” Danon said, accusing Guterres of placing Israel and Hamas on the same level.

Danon was referring to an upcoming U.N. report on conflict-related sexual violence that has not yet been made public but is typically shared with the states concerned before publication.

Last August, the annual report warned that Israel could be added to the list of parties suspected or responsible for sexual violence in armed conflict, a list on which Hamas already appears.

At the time, the United Nations cited “credible information” regarding sexual violence allegedly committed by Israeli security forces against Palestinian detainees in prisons and detention centers and noted that U.N. inspectors had not been granted access.

“We invited U.N. representatives to come to Israel to inspect these ridiculous allegations; they chose not to come, they chose to continue the campaign against Israel,” Danon said.

Relations between Israel and the United Nations — the organization that voted in 1947 to create the state of Israel — have long been tense and have deteriorated further since Oct. 7, 2023.

Israeli authorities have repeatedly criticized Guterres and other U.N. officials for condemning Israeli military operations in Gaza. Guterres was declared persona non grata in Israel in 2024.