The U.N. secretary-general’s report on conflict-related sexual crimes, which lists Hamas on the global body’s “blacklist” for the first time since Oct. 7, is to be commended but “long overdue,” according to Carol Ann Schwartz, national president of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America.
“For the second year in a row, the United Nations report shows record levels of conflict-related sexual violence,” Schwartz said. “This represents a profound global moral failure and demands that the U.N. and governments around the world put a stop to the unacceptable weaponization of rape. We must stand up to support survivors and demand justice.”
Hadassah is “glad” to see that the global body “has finally listed Hamas as a party credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for sexual violence,” according to Schwartz.
“Nearly 700 days since Oct. 7, 2023, this action to hold Hamas accountable for systematically weaponizing sexual violence is long overdue,” she stated. “This is just the first step. The United Nations must vigorously pursue justice and advance measures to hold Hamas accountable for crimes against humanity.”
“Failure to act will only further embolden violent extremists across the world to perpetrate these heinous acts,” she added.
