Danon demands UN official quit over Israel blacklist

A verbal confrontation erupted at the United Nations on Friday when Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon called on a senior U.N. official to resign over what he described as a politically motivated campaign against Israel.

The clash occurred during the United Nations’ flagship event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Danon sharply criticized Pramila Patten, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative on sexual violence in conflict, over Israel’s inclusion by Secretary-General António Guterres last month on a U.N. blacklist of parties suspected of conflict-related violence, alongside terrorist organizations.

“Israel has been placed on a blacklist alongside Hamas, ISIS and Boko Haram,” Danon said. “This is a moral disgrace that will be remembered as one of the darkest stains on António Guterres’s legacy,” referring to the U.N. secretary-general.

Tensions escalated when Vanessa Frazier, the U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict, repeatedly interrupted Danon’s remarks. Frazier is responsible for the annual report that included Israel on the U.N. blacklist.

The interruption triggered a brief but vocal exchange. Danon accused Patten of lending credibility to allegations against Israel without independently reviewing the evidence or ensuring that Israel had been given a fair opportunity to respond.

“If verifying the facts is not Ms. Patten’s responsibility, then what exactly is her responsibility?” he asked.

Addressing Patten directly, Danon said, “You knew Israel had cooperated. You knew you had not reviewed the evidence yourself. Yet you chose to stand behind this falsehood. You should have said no. You should have resigned. You tried to stain Israel’s name. But the stain is not on Israel. The stain is on you.”

Danon told JNS: “Vanessa Frazier’s actions have crossed every red line. Her conduct is a disgrace to the office she holds. A senior U.N. official who amplifies false accusations against Israel and engages with individuals spreading antisemitic and neo-Nazi content is not advancing human rights, she is fueling hatred and division. The secretary-general must stop looking the other way. The U.N.’s credibility is collapsing under the weight of its own double standards.”

According to a video of the exchange posted by Danon on X, Frazier objected to what she called “personal attacks” and defended her findings, saying they were based on verified evidence.

Danon responded forcefully, accusing U.N. officials of bias against Israel. “You caved to the secretary-general’s obsession with targeting Israel,” he said.

At one point, after another interruption, Danon declared: “We are a member state, and you work for the U.N., and you will be quiet now!

Following the event, Danon defended his remarks on social media, saying he refused to be silenced when “vile blood libels” were directed at Israeli soldiers.

“People always ask me how to stay cool-headed in a hostile environment like the U.N.,” he wrote. “There are moments when we must stand firm on our positions and not give an inch.”

Referring to the blacklist decision, Danon said the report falsely accused Israeli soldiers of “committing systematic sexual offenses as part of a war effort.

“When it comes to vile blood libels against our soldiers—my son, my daughter, our children serving in the Israel Defense Forces and defending our country—no one will stop me from presenting the truth,” he wrote.

In a subsequent post on X, Danon wrote: “Look at the disgraceful Vanessa Frazier,” sharing a screenshot of Frazier’s account responding to a social-media post that featured an Israeli flag altered to display a blue swastika.

Accusing the U.N. official of hypocrisy, he added: “Nothing exposes hypocrisy faster than engaging with antisemitic content while pretending to champion human rights. The mask is off.”

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, Danon said he could not allow Frazier to interrupt his remarks during the conference.

“I silenced her,” he said. “It was hard for me to sit quietly, and when my turn came to speak, I presented all the facts and the truth, and this impudent woman tried to interrupt me. Usually, I’m reserved, but when it comes to our heroic soldiers, no one will silence me.”