Israel has been placed on a United Nations blacklist of countries, terror groups and militia accused of using sexual violence as a weapon of torture in conflict zones. A report issued by secretary general António Guterres claimed to have verified 31 incidents against men, women and children that included gang rape, targeted shooting of genitals, touching private parts, threats and forced nudity. Most cases involved “multiple forms of abuse” and some, including one rape, were filmed. The alleged victims, from Gaza and the West Bank, included human rights activists and journalists. Some were threatened against reporting their suffering.

This could scarcely be more damning for a democratic nation formed in the wake of genocidal atrocities. Israel was placed alongside Russia, Myanmar, Sudan, Hamas and the Islamic State – although accused, like the Kremlin, of unusually targeting men as well as women amid a global rise in conflict-related violence. The UN identified perpetrators as members of the armed forces, police and prison service, stressing the report should be seen as “indicative of incidents and patterns” rather than comprehensive due to Israel’s denial of access to both Gaza and its detention centres. Even the Red Cross has been barred since October 2023 from visiting the thousands of detained Palestinians.

Israel rejected the allegations, and its officials responded in typical fashion by accusing Guterres of spreading antisemitic lies and “blood libels” with its UN ambassador saying they had cut ties with him over this blacklisting. The timing was........

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