The awarding of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to former international judge Navi Pillay on Friday has sparked fierce criticism from Israel, pro-Israel advocacy groups and allies of President Donald Trump, turning what would normally be a celebration of international law into a flashpoint in the debate over Gaza, war crimes and allegations of genocide. Pillay, an 85-year-old South African jurist and former U.N. human rights chief, has served as a judge on the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Court of Justice. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it selected Pillay "for her efforts to promote peace and international law" and praised her decades-long career as a judge, prosecutor and human rights advocate.
The committee cited her work on international courts and efforts to hold perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide accountable, saying the award underscored the importance of a rules-based international order at a time when the international legal system faces growing pressure and "might overtakes right." U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the award, calling it "a tribute to all those working to uphold and defend international law, the rule of law and human rights, and secure peace, justice and human dignity." U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk similarly said the award was "well-deserved" and represented "a recognition, a reaffirmation that human rights, the rule of law and justice and accountability are fundamental to everything." But for Israel and its supporters, Pillay's selection is significant because she chaired the United Nations commission of inquiry that concluded Israel committed genocide in Gaza, a finding that Israel has repeatedly rejected.
Newsweek reached out to the White House, U.S. State Department, and Israeli Foreign Ministry for comment on Friday. Israeli officials reacted angrily shortly after the announcement.
Daniel Meron, Israel's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, told that the Nobel committee's decision was "disgraceful" and amounted to "an endorsement for proponents of antisemitism like Pillay herself." He accused her of using her position at the U.N. to undermine Israel and pursue a political agenda. The criticism was echoed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who wrote on X that the Nobel Committee had "lost its moral compass" and accused Pillay of building her career around "inventing and propagating blood libels against the one and only Jewish state." The dispute centers largely on Pillay's role as chair of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which last year concluded that Israel had committed what it described as genocide in Gaza.
Israel dismissed the report as "scandalous." Pillay also referenced Gaza while speaking to a crowd gathered to celebrate the award in Nuremberg, Germany. "The last thing I did is the delivery of the report on Gaza, naming what's happening there as genocide," Pillay told the crowd. In a statement shared with Newsweek on Friday, the Anti-Defamation League said the Nobel Committee had rewarded what it described as Pillay's "record of legitimizing" the demonization of Jews and Israelis while "championing antizionism." The ADL accused Pillay of driving the "unsubstantiated 'genocide' charge against Israel" and argued that her work had helped elevate narratives that fueled antisemitism.
The group also criticized comments and positions it said Pillay had taken regarding Israel and Jewish organizations. "Learning of this award in Nuremberg and using the moment to double down on the genocide claim is a betrayal of 'never again,'" the ADL statement said. "The Nobel Committee has handed its most prestigious honor to someone who has repeatedly given cover to antisemitic narratives." The criticism echoed a separate statement from UN Watch.
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