NEW YORK, NY – Today, in response to the March 13, 2025, report released by the United Nations (UN) Commission of Inquiry (COI), Carol Ann Schwartz, National President, Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, made the following statement:
“Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is alarmed by the biased UN Commission of Inquiry report, which shows the same bias and distortion as the previous reports, fails to acknowledge Hamas’ terrorist actions and ignores the well-documented systematic weaponization of sexual violence by Hamas. For example, the report fails to mention that Hamas deliberately hides weapons and military operations centers inside public facilities like hospitals and health care centers, putting its citizens at risk and turning them into military targets.
“With this report, the COI once again provides excuses that embolden Hamas terrorists, and fails to hold Hamas accountable for its grotesque weaponization of sexual violence against Israeli women, girls and men on October 7, 2023, and against hostages it has held for over a year. The United States and the European Union have acknowledged these crimes and taken steps to sanction Hamas. Sadly, the UN – despite having documented some of the evidence itself – has not taken steps to hold Hamas accountable. We continue to call on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to list Hamas in the Annex to the 2025 Report on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and to vigorously pursue justice for the victims of Hamas’ sexual violence.
“As Hadassah has done so many times in the past, we call on the UN to disband the unprecedented, unending COI targeting Israel and remove its biased leaders, who have repeatedly made antisemitic statements and excused Hamas' terrorism in clear violation of UN impartiality standards.”