Claims of Israeli sexual assault of Palestinian women are credible, UN panel says

[cbabe]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/22/claims-of-israeli-sexual-assault-of-palestinian-women-are-credible-un-panel-says

Claims of Israeli sexual assault of Palestinian women are credible, UN panel says

Experts report evidence of rape, sexual humiliation and threats of rape against girls and women

Julian Borger in Washington
Thu 22 Feb 2024 14.12 EST

UN experts say they have seen “credible allegations” that Palestinian women and girls have been subjected to sexual assaults, including rape, while in Israeli detention, and are calling for a full investigation. The panel of experts said there was evidence of a least two cases of rape, alongside other cases of sexual humiliation and threats of rape. Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, said the true extent of sexual violence could be significantly higher.

…

She noted that reticence in reporting sexual assault was common because of the fear of reprisals against victims. She said that in a wave of detentions of Palestinian women and girls after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on 7 October, there was an increasingly permissive attitude towards sexual assault in Israeli detention centres.

“I would say that, on the whole, violence and dehumanisation of Palestinian women and children and civilians has been normalised throughout this war,” Alsalem said.

There was evidence of widespread sexual violence by Hamas against Israeli women and girls during the 7 October raid in southern Israel. The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel has reported that the use of rape and other abuse by the Hamas attackers was “systematic and intentional”. Those assaults, which were also condemned by Alsalem and the other UN experts, are to be the subject of a report by the UN secretary general’s special envoy on sexual violence, Pramila Patten.

…more…

[Lunabell]

1. Evil.

Both sides. Evil.

[lapucelle]

8. Israel is not evil. N/T

[Lunabell]

9. I didn't say that.

I meant netenyahu and his government. And hamas. Both evil. The people of Israel and the Palestinians are not evil.

[comradebillyboy]

2. Is the UN panel credible? Is there any credible evidence?

Hamas actually filmed the rape and mutilation of Israeli women and paraded their mutilated bodies through the streets of Gaza. I'm not going to take anyone associated with Hamas at their word without actual proof.

[Big Blue Marble]

3. Name any army that does not rape. Is it endemic in war.

These are women, not Hamas. We believe women who claim rape. These women
report rape at a high cost in their society. Believe it.

[lapucelle]

4. They are not UN staff. The panel consists of *independent volunteers*.

Here's what two of the *independent volunteers* had to say on October 11.

Link to tweet

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Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/israelopt-un-experts-appalled-reported-human-rights-violations-against

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The statement was issued by Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, and Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, alongside the members of the UN Working group on discrimination against women and girls: Dorothy Estrada Tanck (Chair), Claudia Flores, Ivana Krstić, Haina Lu, and Laura Nyirinkindi.

Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to report and advise on specific thematic issues or country situations.

They work on a voluntary basis and are independent of any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146667

[lapucelle]

5. The Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls

has yet to issue a statement condemning the the sexual torture, mutilation, and rape of women and children by Hamas on October 7.

She hasn't even called for an investigation.

[Mosby]

6. Without a shred of real evidence

The UN is promoting these lies against the IDF and Israel.

Sick.

[lapucelle]

7. It's a "both sides" effort promulgated by a known anti-Semite.

Link to tweet

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Here's what United States Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield had to say about Albanese last year.

The ambassador later condemned a range of actions and statements by Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, who has compared Israel to the Nazis and appeared at conferences alongside members of terrorist groups. Such behavior has prompted two calls from Capitol Hill for Albanese’s firing since the beginning of the year.

Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. finds “her statements, her public stances completely unacceptable” and has raised its concerns “at the highest levels of the United Nations,” calling for action against Albanese and other U.N. officials whose public statements have suggested bias against Israel. But she said the U.S. has stopped short of explicitly calling for Albanese’s removal, as lawmakers have urged.

https://jewishinsider.com/2023/03/united-nations-ambassador-linda-thomas-greenfield-unrwa-israel-palestinians/

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See also:

UN Palestinian rights official’s social media history reveals antisemitic comments

Francesca Albanese tells ToI she acknowledges ‘mistakes’ in past reference to a ‘Jewish lobby’; is latest UN official probing Israel to show evidence of blatant prejudice

https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-palestinian-rights-officials-social-media-history-reveals-antisemitic-comments/