Israel Slams Nobel Peace Prize Winner Navi Pillay for 'Distorted Use of Award'
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the Nobel Peace Prize award to Navi Pillay, accusing her of anti-Israel bias and a "distorted use of the prize." Pillay, who chaired a UN inquiry into Palestinian territories, previously supported a report alleging Israeli genocide in Gaza. The ministry stated the award legitimizes hatred and prejudice against Israel. Pillay has also been accused by UN Watch of calling Israel an apartheid state and supporting sanctions.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned Navi Pillay's Nobel Peace Prize win, calling it a 'distorted use of the prize'.
- The ministry accused Pillay of promoting a 'genocide libel' and 'relentless delegitimization campaign against Israel'.
- Pillay previously chaired a UN commission that alleged Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
- UN Watch reported Pillay called Israel an apartheid state and supported sanctions against it.
- The Nobel Committee cited Pillay's work on global legal order and prosecuting war crimes.
Israel's Foreign Ministry on Friday strongly condemned the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, a former president of the International Criminal Court and current chair of a UN commission investigating human rights violations in the Palestinian territories. The ministry accused Pillay of holding anti-Israel positions and called the decision to grant her the prestigious award a "distorted use of the prize as a tool to legitimize hatred and prejudice against Israel."
In a sharp statement, the ministry declared that if a prize existed for lies, hatred, and blood libel, Pillay would be its leading candidate. "Her role in the relentless delegitimization campaign against Israel and in promoting the genocide libel, driven by political considerations, speaks for itself," the statement read. Officials further asserted that the Nobel Committee's decision to award the prize to Pillay was not an act of justice, but rather a tool to promote hatred.
The Nobel Committee announced Pillay as the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her "exceptional courage and integrity in leading the way toward greater global legal order." The committee cited her central role in ensuring that issues such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are brought to justice.
Pillay, who is South African, has been frequently described as anti-Israel. In 2021, she was appointed to head the UN commission investigating the Palestinian territories and Israel. In September 2025, the commission published a report concluding that Israel had committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, a finding Pillay supported. Israel rejected the report, deeming it biased and claiming Pillay repeatedly ignored Hamas's atrocities on October 7.
An investigation by UN Watch, an organization critical of the UN's approach to Israel, revealed that Pillay expressed the view in 2017 that Israel is an apartheid state. In 2020, she also signed a petition calling for sanctions against Israel, titled "Sanction Apartheid Israel." These details were presented in 2022 as part of UN Watch's argument that she was unfit to lead an independent investigation into Israel.
Mentioned
The same event, reported separately by each outlet. Open a few to compare what different newsrooms emphasize — and what they leave out.
Left 2Centre 6Right 6Haredi 2Arab 2Other 8
Not the same event — other stories that share this one’s people, places, or theme: background, reactions, and follow-ups.