Russia has criticized the United Nations for presenting "half-truths" in its investigations into cases of sexual violence during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, arguing that this approach fails to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation. Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Maria Zabolotskaya, made these remarks during a Security Council meeting.
"The UN Secretary General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten, accompanied by nine experts, visited Israel and the West Bank for a brief visit. This visit, however, did not include a trip to the Gaza Strip and did not involve the possibility of investigating crimes or attributing acts. It is crucial to note that Ms. Patten's reputation for using fakes in her work undermines the credibility of her conclusions and findings," Zabolotskaya stated.
She further emphasized that the current situation only highlights partial information within a specific mandate, rather than offering a complete picture of the violence occurring in the region. Zabolotskaya argued that the government of Israel must allow UN mechanisms and agencies access to the region to collect full information on gross and systematic violations of international humanitarian law against civilians during operations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
"The time for this has not yet come. This is especially true given that the report received at the conclusion of the mission cannot be deemed comprehensive, even concerning the stated subject matter. Ms. Patten's team failed to meet with the victims of sexual violence that occurred during the tragic events of October 7, as per the report. Generally, the Special Representative acknowledged that the data was primarily sourced from the Government of Israel and requires further examination and investigation. Additionally, we wish to highlight that the definitions and methodologies employed by Ms. Patten are not universally agreed upon, and our involvement in the discussion regarding her report and this topic does not constitute acceptance or endorsement of them," Zabolotskaya concluded.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Mathias Reding/Unsplash
Based on materials from TASS