JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel is condemning a United Nations report that accuses Israel of crimes against humanity. The report's critics claim that in targeting Israel, the U.N. failed to address the crimes of Hamas.
Human rights lawyers submitted their report to the U.N. Human Rights Council. It alleges Israel systematically destroyed women's healthcare facilities and used sexual violence as a war strategy.
Chris Sidoti from the Commission of Inquiry on the "Occupied Palestinian Territory" stated, "Sexual and gender-based violence is increasingly used as a method of war by Israel to destabilize, dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people." Sidoti claimed, “The Commission documented a pattern of sexual violence, including cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture and other inhumane acts that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar responded, "We've seen an unbelievable blood libel."
Sa'ar went on to blast the commission's report, stating, "The so-called Commission of Inquiry of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations published one of the worst blood libels the world has ever seen – and we had seen many."
The foreign minister added, "It accuses the victims of the crimes committed against them. Hamas is the organization that has committed horrific sexual crimes against Israelis on October 7th. It is indeed a sick publication that only an antisemitic organization could produce."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with some women's groups and Israel's Mission to the U.N., also rejected the report as unfounded and antisemitic.
Posting on X, the U.S. Ambassador-designate to the U.N. Elise Stefanik charged the report ignores the Hamas October 7th massacre.
“The so-called 'Human Rights Council' has failed to condemn the barbaric atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists against Israel including the brutal slaughter, torture, kidnapping of thousands of innocent civilians, and Hamas’ horrific use of rape and sexual violence against Israeli women and girls, yet disgracefully attacks Israel with unfounded smears," Stefanik said.
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Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Israel hit a major group on Thursday in the heart of Syria's capital, Damascus.
Netanyahu announced, “This morning we struck the headquarters of the Islamic Jihad in the heart of Damascus. We are doing this because we have a clear policy – whoever attacks us or plans to attack us, we attack them."
Concerning the hostage talks, Hamas announced they will release U.S.-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander and the bodies of four dual nationals. The announcement comes as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is in Qatar and presented a new proposal. It would extend the ceasefire by several weeks. In return, Hamas would release five living hostages and the bodies of 10 dead hostages.
The U.N. report against Israel comes at a key moment as Israelis and Jews around the world celebrate Purim – when many dress up in costumes to mark the holiday.
It celebrates the time 2,500 years ago when a wicked leader named Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people in ancient Persia, which today is modern Iran. As recorded in the Book of Esther, God raised up a beautiful Jewish queen named Esther to expose and stop those plans. Now, as many Israelis see it, they again face wicked rulers in Iran who want to destroy Israel and the Jewish people.
A number of Jews and Christians around the world believe God will thwart the plans of today's wicked ruler as he did more than two thousand years ago.
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