The United Nations on Monday left Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas off its blacklist of states and armed groups that violate children's rights during conflicts, despite recommendations to include both. U.N. special envoy for children and armed conflict, Leila Zerrougui, had included Israel's military and Hamas in a draft of the report she had sent to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Ban had final say on the blacklist, which was distributed to Security Council members on Monday. U.N. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the recommendation was not public, said there were differences of opinion among those on the ground on whether Israel should be listed -- a key reason why it wasn't and neither was Hamas. Still, Ban's report strongly criticized Israel over its military operations in 2014. "The unprecedented and unacceptable scale of the impact on children in 2014 raises grave concerns about Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law ... [and] excessive use of force," he said. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor said Ban "was right not to submit to the dictates of the terrorist organizations and the Arab states" and include Israel on a "shameful list" with organizations like the Islamic State group, al-Qaida and the Taliban. Emmanuel Nahshon, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Israel took all possible steps to protect civilians. "Israel acted to defend its residents from attacks by a murderous terrorist group, which has no qualms about placing Palestinian civilians, including children, in the line of fire," he said. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum criticized the U.N. for keeping Israel off the list and equating his Islamist faction, which he said was defending the Palestinians against Israeli "state terror," with Israel. Philippe Bolopion, a representative of advocacy group Human Rights Watch, said: "Ban's disappointing decision to override the advice of his special representative by removing Israel and Hamas is a blow to U.N. efforts to better protect children in armed conflict. "Facts and consistency dictated that both be included on the list, but political pressure seems to have prevailed." Ban criticized "Palestinian armed groups" for indiscriminate rocket fire that endangered and killed children in Israel and Gaza. He further said that in conflicts in the Central African Republic, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Nigeria, South Sudan and Syria, "children were affected to a degree which is an affront to our common humanity." The annual list is significant because it names and shames governments and insurgent groups that violate children's rights in conflicts. The Security Council resolution that established the list in August 2009 states the council's intention "to take action" -- including possible sanctions -- against repeat violators of international laws protecting children in armed conflicts. "I would like to put all parties to conflict on notice that those that engage in military action that results in numerous grave violations against children will, regardless of intent, find themselves under continued scrutiny by the United Nations, including in future reports relating to children and armed conflict," Ban said.
