Navi Pillay, United Nations, UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré
October 9, 2026. Former International Criminal Court (ICC) judge Navi Pillay was announced as the winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, honored by the committee "for her efforts to promote peace and international law".
Because Pillay recently spearheaded a United Nations panel that concluded Israel committed genocide in Gaza, the announcement triggered a swift, severe backlash from both Israeli and U.S. officials:
Coming just days after the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, the award was widely viewed across Israel as a deliberate, high-profile insult from international bodies they view as deeply biased.
Gideon Sa'ar, Israel's Foreign Ministry vehemently condemned the award, labeling it a "grotesque weaponization" meant to legitimize anti-Israel hatred and prejudice. He added that Nazi propagandist "Joseph Goebbels is certainly applauding from hell".
Hours after the Nobel announcement, the United States sharply escalated its retaliation by announcing full blocking sanctions against the ICC.
