A tense exchange unfolded at the United Nations on Friday after Israel’s ambassador, Danny Danon, sharply criticized senior UN officials following the inclusion of Israeli agencies on a UN blacklist of parties accused of conflict-related sexual violence.
The confrontation took place during a meeting in New York marking the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Danon called for the resignation of UN Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten, accusing her of bias after her office included Israel in the report for the first time.
Addressing the meeting, Danon claimed Patten had acted under pressure from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. He alleged that the report unfairly targeted Israel and accused the UN leadership of maintaining a biased approach.
The exchange intensified when Vanessa Frazier, the Secretary-General’s representative for children and armed conflict, interrupted with a point of order. Frazier objected to what she described as personal attacks against UN officials and said the findings in the reports were based on verified evidence.
Danon responded by telling Frazier to remain quiet, arguing that Israel, as a UN member state, had the right to address the meeting without interruption. Frazier rejected the remarks and reiterated that the discussion should remain professional rather than personal.
The dispute follows the publication of two separate UN reports. Patten’s report added Israeli agencies to the blacklist of parties accused of conflict-related sexual violence, while Frazier’s report warned of a sharp increase in grave violations against Palestinian children during the conflict.
Frazier’s report also stated that children experienced the highest number of verified grave violations since the monitoring mechanism was established three decades ago. It further noted that government forces were responsible for the majority of documented abuses for the first time.
Israel has strongly rejected both reports. Danon described Patten as “a collaborator in this disgrace,” while Israel’s Foreign Ministry previously announced it would sever ties with Secretary-General Guterres following the publication of the findings.
