By Said Amouri
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday reacted to the UN's inclusion of the Israeli army on its blacklist – also known as the list of shame – for violating children's rights in conflict zones, claiming that its forces are the "most moral military" and "no flat" earth decision can change that.
In a series of posts from his X account, Netanyahu criticized the UN for adding the Israeli army to its blacklist, saying "The UN put itself today on history's black list when it adopted the absurd claims of Hamas."
Earlier in the day, Israeli envoy to the UN Gilad Erdan said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres added the Israeli army to a global list of offenders who have violated children's rights.
He stated on X that he has received official notification of the secretary-general's decision to include the Israeli army on the "blacklist" of countries and organizations that harm children.
Despite killing over 36,700 overwhelmingly civilian Palestinians in brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 of last year, Netanyahu claimed in another post on X that its army "is the most moral military in the world."
He added that "no flat earth decision by the UN Secretary-General can change that."
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
Over 36,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 83,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar