Ramallah 6-7-2024 Wafa - The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, informed the so-called “Israeli Defense Attaché” in the United States, Major General Heidi Silberman, that he had finally decided to include Israel in the blacklist of countries and organizations that harm children in conflict areas, In addition to countries and organizations including ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said in a report published today, Friday, that “All of Israel’s efforts to persuade Guterres to avoid this step have failed, and Israel will appear on the blacklist that will be published next week in a report that will be distributed to members of the Security Council, and will be discussed on June 26.” “This June.”

A report by Israeli Channel 13 also confirmed, on Thursday night, that the Secretary-General of the United Nations took the decision despite Israeli efforts to persuade him to retract this step.

Last month, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper and its Ynet website revealed that there is real fear in Israel regarding this step, after the many statements made by Guterres against Israel.

It claimed that "various sources familiar with the matter say that the current Secretary-General hates Israel - and it is no longer possible to influence him."

Israel expressed concern that this move could lead to the imposition of an arms embargo against it.

Yedioth Ahronoth indicated that the report, which is published once a year and covers the previous year, was written by the United Nations envoy for children and war zones, Virginia Gamba. The current report will cover the entire year 2023, as the last quarter witnessed a jump in data due to the war on the Gaza Strip that broke out in October.

Last year, the blacklisted countries included Afghanistan, Congo, Mali, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and others, in addition to organizations such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram.

The newspaper noted that "Guterres will not mention Israel or the Israeli army specifically, but rather will refer to the Israeli security forces."

It pointed out that "Israel will find itself in the company of non-democratic countries and will be the first democratic country to be included in the report, which surveys conflict areas around the world and devotes about two pages to Israel," as she claimed.

The data contained in the report depends on UN organizations and field factors.

Yedioth Ahronoth said, “The consequences of entering the blacklist include damage to the image, as the report gains great international reputation and will be cited in all United Nations bodies, including the United Nations General Assembly, the Security Council, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court in The Hague.”

It added: “In practice, once a country or entity is placed on the list, ad hoc reports are produced in relation to them, which means that the Office of the Special Envoy will prepare ad hoc reports in relation to Israel, and the reports will subsequently be submitted to the Security Council.”

It continued, "The draft report that Israel received a few months ago includes several criticisms, including the use of large-scale bombs in the occupied territories, imposing a severe siege on Gaza, attacking vital infrastructure, attempting to recruit minors as informants, and using children as human shields."

The continued Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since last October led to the death of 36,654 citizens, including about 15,500 children and about 10,300 women, in addition to the injury of 83,309, the majority of whom were children and women, in an infinite toll, as thousands of victims are still under the rubble and in Roads, where the occupation prevents ambulance and rescue crews from reaching them.

A number of children were martyred in the Gaza Strip, as a result of hunger, malnutrition, and drought, in light of the occupation preventing the arrival of relief aid and destroying hospitals and medical centers.

During the same period, 526 citizens, including 132 children, were martyred, and 5,000 others were injured in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.