TEL AVIV /PNN/ 

The Israeli government has decided to freeze its relations with the office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres in response to the inclusion of several of its institutions on a blacklist related to sexual violence in conflict zones.

Sources said this freeze will be one of several steps Israel is taking against him, including preparing for the election of a new Secretary-General who can rectify this mistake.

The sources revealed Israeli efforts to enlist the United States in these efforts against Guterres, to prevent the escalation of his campaign against Israel, which it considers politically motivated, detached from reality, and bordering on antisemitism.

On Thursday the United Nations has added Israel to its "blacklist" of perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict zones.

According to a report by the Ynet website, the UN is preparing to announce the inclusion of Israeli entities on a list of countries and organizations accused of committing sexual violence in conflict zones.

The report stated that among the entities to be added to the list is the Israeli Prison Service, along with other Israeli authorities that have been placed under a "monitoring framework" in preparation for their possible future inclusion.

This comes amid increasing Palestinian and international reports and testimonies regarding violations against Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Human rights and media organizations have documented hundreds of testimonies from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and inside Israeli prisons, detailing torture and sexual abuse of Palestinians during arrest, interrogation, and detention.

The UN resolution against the Israeli Prison Service and other entities managing detention camps holding thousands of Palestinian prisoners comes amid reports issued by the United Nations and international human rights organizations documenting cases of rape, harassment, and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, particularly in Sde Teiman prison.