When the United Nations distorts reality, it doesn’t just fail morally – it undermines its very mission.
The draft of the 2025 annual report on children and armed conflict exemplifies this troubling pattern by blatantly omitting explicit references to Israeli child victims, such as brothers Kfir and Ariel Bibas, murdered by Hamas terrorists, and the twelve Israeli children killed by Hezbollah rockets in Majdal Shams.
The draft notably ignores clear and verified tragedies, like the abduction and murder of 17-year-old Tiran Fero, a Druze-Israeli teenager kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists from a hospital in Jenin.
Equally overlooked are the countless Israeli children who repeatedly endure Palestinian rocket barrages, forced into shelters as their trauma is casually erased from international records.
Selective documentation isn’t just bias – it’s a calculated erasure that aids extremists. By implying that certain atrocities vanish from official records, the UN inadvertently legitimizes terrorist groups and diminishes moderate voices, both Israeli and Palestinian.
Though politically convenient in the short term, this approach inevitably corrodes trust and jeopardizes the organization’s effectiveness.
History offers stark warnings. The infamous Goldstone Report, initially embraced for its anti-Israel bias, later crumbled under factual scrutiny, severely damaging the UN’s reputation. Yet, the UN risks repeating this error, ignoring evidence-based criticism at its own peril.
This troubling pattern isn’t isolated to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In Yemen, initial UN reports disproportionately highlighted Saudi-led coalition actions while downplaying atrocities by Houthi rebels, misleading global perceptions and weakening international responses.
Likewise, slow UN acknowledgment of Myanmar’s abuses against the Rohingya allowed misinformation to dominate the early narrative, delaying necessary interventions. Each biased report weakens the international community’s resolve, prolonging conflicts and intensifying suffering.
The credibility crisis escalates when addressing Palestinian child casualty figures. While the report cites thousands of child deaths in Gaza – primarily based on Hamas-controlled data – it openly admits many claims remain unverified due to security constraints.
Ignoring critical context in war
Crucially, the draft ignores critical context, such as incidents involving misfired rockets from Hamas and Islamic Jihad or minors actively engaged in combat. Such omissions craft a misleading narrative, distorting global perceptions and obstructing genuine accountability.
Perhaps most alarming are unprecedented allegations accusing Israel of using Palestinian minors as human shields or soldiers, based on dubious testimonies lacking credible evidence. By equating legitimate military operations conducted within international law to minimize civilian harm with deliberate terrorist acts, the report dangerously blurs moral boundaries crucial for justice.
Ironically, such biased reporting harms Palestinians by empowering extremist factions thriving on distorted narratives. Moderate Palestinian voices advocating peace become marginalized, further reducing prospects for reconciliation. This fosters a perpetual cycle of violence, exactly opposite to the UN’s declared mission.
While the UN report does acknowledge Hamas’s atrocities against Israeli children during the October 7, 2023 attack – an essential but insufficient step toward genuine balance – listing the IDF alongside Hamas and Islamic Jihad as equal violators dangerously obscures fundamental moral distinctions.
To regain credibility, the UN urgently needs reforms, including establishing independent verification mechanisms, transparently disclosing methodologies, and explicitly differentiating deliberate terrorist actions from legitimate defensive operations.
Without swift implementation of these reforms, the UN risks permanent damage to its legitimacy precisely when global crises demand credible leadership. Institutional disinformation inevitably backfires – it returns like a boomerang, striking hardest those who deploy it.
How long must we endure biased reporting before demanding accountability from the institutions responsible for global justice?
The global community deserves a United Nations uncompromisingly committed to truth, transparency, and accountability – not a distorted shadow undermining peace by rewriting reality. Ignoring this warning could cost the UN its moral voice precisely when the world needs it most.
The writer is an expert in crisis communications and strategic governance, specializing in countering disinformation and international influence. He previously served as vice president of external relations at Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and advised the Israeli government on strategic communication during national emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic and security conflicts.