Chaos at UN session after Israeli envoy calls for official's resignation over report
A United Nations session descended into a heated exchange on Friday after Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, called on UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten to resign over a report concerning alleged conflict-related sexual violence.
Addressing the session, Danon accused Patten of yielding to political pressure after a UN report placed Israeli security forces on a monitoring list of parties suspected of patterns of conflict-related sexual violence.
"Why did you not come to see the evidence yourself? Were you afraid the facts would not match the conclusion?" Danon said. "You caved. You caved to the pressure. You caved to the Secretary General's obsession with targeting Israel."
His remarks were interrupted by Vanessa Frazier, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, who objected to what she described as a personal attack.
"This should not be personal. I have a point of order," Frazier said. Danon responded by telling her to remain silent. "No, you will be quiet because I'm speaking now," he said, before demanding that she leave the session. Frazier refused.
"I will not walk out. We have verified evidence," she replied, accusing Danon of making "personal attacks." "You work for the UN, and you will respect the rules of the UN. We are a member state, and you work for the UN, and you will be quiet now...If you don't want to listen, go out," he retorted.
The confrontation followed the publication of a UN report on conflict-related sexual violence that added Israeli armed and security forces to a UN monitoring list over allegations involving Palestinian detainees.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
