Follow Steve Postal: @HebraicMosaic

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At first glance, a United Nations report has vindicated Israeli claims of sexual violence by Hamas and Gazans on October 7 and after. But on a closer look, the UN report reveals extreme bias against Israel, as it does not directly place blame on either Hamas or Gazans for these war crimes. Apparently, the UN wants us to believe that in this case, sexual violence has no perpetrator.

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten, compiled the report from her recent visit with a team of “technical experts” to Israel in January and February. The goal of this visit was to investigate allegations of “conflict related sexual violence” during October 7 and after.

According to the report, the UN team “…found clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment has been committed against hostages and has reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing against those still held in captivity.” Additionally, the team found “…that there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred in multiple locations during the 7 October attacks, including rape and gang-rape in at least three locations, namely: the Nova music festival site and its surroundings, Road 232, and Kibbutz Re’im. In most of these incidents, victims first subjected to rape were then killed, and at least two incidents relate to the rape of women’s corpses.” Lastly, “[t]he mission team also found a pattern of victims, mostly women, found fully or partially naked, bound, and shot across multiple locations…” and that “…such a pattern may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence, including sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”

However, the UN report does not explicitly condemn either Hamas or Gazans for committing sexual violence against Israeli citizens. The report mentions Hamas by name three times:

• “The objective of the visit was to gather, analyze and verify allegations of conflict-related sexual violence reportedly committed during the brutal, Hamas-led terror attacks…”
• “In the context of the coordinated attack by Hamas and other armed groups against civilian and military targets throughout the Gaza periphery, the mission team found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred…”
• “[Ms. Patten] calls on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release all individuals held in captivity and to ensure their protection, including from sexual violence.”

Rather than directly incriminate Hamas or Gazans, the report merely states that 1) sexual violence was “reportedly committed” during those attacks led by Hamas; 2) there is reason to believe that sexual violence occurred “in the context” of Hamas’ attack; and 3) Hamas needs to protect the hostages from sexual violence.

The report shows further bias against Israel, as it fraudulently refers to the “occupied West Bank” five times, which is more than the three times that the report mentions “Hamas.” The report also ends with the claptrap of Ms. Patten’s “…profound sympathy and solidarity with all civilians affected by the brutal violence in the region since the 7 October attacks…,” which commoditizes and depreciates Hamas’ and Gazans’ rape of Israelis.

Professor Anne Bayefsky, the Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and President of Human Rights Voices, has listed several jarring truths about the UN’s bias against Israel following the October 7 attack:

• The United Nations Security Council has not condemned Hamas.
• While the United Nations General Assembly has passed 15 resolutions against Israel since October 7, it has not passed any against Hamas.
• The United Nations Human Rights Council has not convened a session addressing the rape and assaults committed against Israeli women.
• The UN Women group merely called for “accounts” to be “investigated,” while labelling Israel’s war in Gaza a “war on women.”

In addition to the points raised by Bayefsky, UNRWA provides material support to Hamas. Since my article on this, Israel has released audio that it claims incriminates two more UNRWA employees in the October 7 attacks, including one teacher bragging “We have female hostages, I captured one!”

Through the recent report and its actions since October 7, the United Nations has shown that it continues to provide political cover for Hamas. Rather than prosecute Hamas for war crimes and forever cease its support of terrorism, the United Nations continues to stand in the way of true peace.