Full Breakdown
UN Hearing Erupts in Shouting Match Over Blacklisting of Israel and Settler Groups
6/20/2026, 6:08:59 AM
Heated Confrontation at UN Hearing Over Blacklisting of Israel and Settler Groups
On 19 June 2024, a public hearing at United Nations headquarters in New York marked the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Israel’s Permanent Representative Danny Danon erupted into a shouting match with UN officials Pramila Patten and Vanessa Frazier after the release of two UN reports that placed Israel on “list of shame” annexes for alleged sexual-violence and child-rights violations. Danon demanded Patten’s resignation and ordered Frazier to be silent.
Background: UN Reports and the “List of Shame”
Patten’s special-representative report listed Israel for the first time among parties accused of conflict-related sexual violence. Frazier’s Children and Armed Conflict report warned that Israeli settler groups could be added to the same “list of shame” annexes for violations against children. Both documents also named Hamas. The reports form part of the UN’s annual Children and Armed Conflict assessment, which tracks grave violations worldwide.
Key Figures
- Danny Danon – Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN.
- Pramila Patten – UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
- Vanessa Frazier – UN Secretary-General’s Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, former Maltese ambassador.
- Antonio Guterres – UN Secretary-General, whose term ends later in 2024.
Data & Statistics on Child Violations
The 2025 UN Children and Armed Conflict report recorded 38,558 grave violations against children globally, the highest total since monitoring began in 1996. Of these, 9,465 were attributed to Israeli forces and 326 to Israeli settlers. Hamas also appears among groups responsible for abuses.
Official Statements & Responses
- Danon accused Patten of bias, saying she “caved to the secretary-general’s obsession with targeting Israel,” and demanded her resignation.
- Danon told Frazier, “We are a member state, and you work for the U.N., and you will be quiet now. You will be quiet … you and your shameful report.”
- Frazier replied that Danon must refrain from “personal attacks” and defended the findings as based on “verified evidence.”
- Guterres said he was “deeply alarmed” by a “staggering” increase in violations affecting Palestinian children.
- Israel’s foreign ministry announced plans to sever ties with Guterres following the reports.
Criticism & Opposition
UN officials characterised Danon’s remarks as personal attacks and emphasized the reports’ reliance on verified evidence. Israeli officials described the blacklisting as politically motivated, labeling the inclusion of Israel a “new low” and accusing the UN of targeting the state.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
All sources concur that the Patten and Frazier reports list Israel, Israeli forces, Israeli settlers, and Hamas as violators. No contradictory figures appear, but the excerpts do not detail the methodology used to attribute specific violations to each actor.
Verbatim Quotes
- “You caved to the secretary-general's obsession with targeting Israel,” — Danny Danon, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations
- “We are a member state, and you work for the U.N., and you will be quiet now. You will be quiet ... you and your shameful report,” — Danny Danon
- “chief voiced alarm at what he called a "staggering" rise in violations against Palestinian children.” — Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General
What’s Next
Israel’s foreign ministry intends to sever diplomatic ties with the Secretary-General’s office before the end of 2024. The UN will publish its next Children and Armed Conflict report in 2026, which may influence future blacklist decisions. Guterres’s term concludes at year-end, leaving open questions about the continuity of the UN’s reporting approach toward Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
