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The Palestinian foreign ministry welcomed the awarding of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to jurist Navi Pillay, saying the recognition honoured all those who stand firm in defending international law and justice. “Throughout her distinguished career, she has pursued the truth and defended the rights of the oppressed in South Africa and around the world, including Palestine, with integrity, courage, and honour,” the ministry said in a statement. The ministry described the prize as well deserved and noted that it amplifies the voice of the oppressed while contributing to accountability for those responsible for genocide and other international crimes.
Pillay, who is 85, served as United Nations high commissioner for human rights and as a judge at the International Criminal Court before chairing the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 2021 to 2025, according to a BBC News profile of the laureate. That commission concluded Israel had committed genocidal acts in Gaza and determined that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister had incited the commission of genocide, a finding detailed in a New York Times account of her work. The panel, established by the UN Human Rights Council, lacked legal authority and its conclusions were rejected by Israel, which accused the members of bias, the Times of Israel reported.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award for Pillay’s efforts to promote peace and international law, which it said had helped pave the way for a more comprehensive global legal order. Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes called her work a source of hope and inspiration to those seeking a more peaceful world, in remarks carried by the Times of Israel. Speaking from Nuremberg’s Palace of Justice in Germany, where Nazi leaders faced trial after World War II, Pillay dedicated the prize to survivors of international crimes while criticising attacks on institutions such as the International Criminal Court.
Israel reacted angrily to the Nobel Committee’s choice, with its foreign ministry describing the award as a grotesque weaponisation of the prize to legitimise anti-Israel hatred and prejudice, according to the Times of Israel. The ministry added that by honouring what it termed the 21st century’s biggest lie, Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels must be cheering in hell. Israeli officials further accused Pillay of having served as a proxy for Hamas in her UN commission role.
Pillay’s earlier record includes defending Nelson Mandela and other activists during the apartheid era in South Africa as well as presiding over the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in the wake of the 1994 genocide, a BBC News summary of her career noted. The Nobel Committee highlighted how she had been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted at the international level. Her selection for the prize has intensified debates over the role of international legal bodies in addressing contemporary conflicts.
Hours after Pillay criticised attacks on the ICC during her acceptance remarks, the United States announced sanctions on the court and vowed to cripple its operations, according to a CBS News report on the award. Pillay had served as a judge on the ICC after her election in 2003. The development reflects broader tensions surrounding international tribunals and their investigations.
