On 2026-01-01, Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She made the announcement in Nuremberg, Germany, and said she would dedicate the honor to all survivors of international crimes.
Before the prize, Pillay served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
On 2026-10-09, Donald Trump condemned the decision, saying the Nobel Committee had "covered itself in irreparable shame" and diminished the once‑prestigious Peace Prize by giving it to Pillay of the United Nations.
On 2026-10-09, Pillay stated that a commission had determined Israel is responsible for committing genocide in Gaza.
Israeli officials denounced the award as "not an act of justice but the grotesque instrumentalization of an honor to legitimize hatred and prejudice against Israel." They added that, by rewarding what they called "the biggest lie of the twenty‑first century," Joseph Goebbels would surely be applauding from hell.
Critics claimed Pillay is a declared enemy of the United States and Israel, that she has exalted terrorists and rewarded Hamas, and that she has accused Israel of committing genocide.
On 2026-10-09, Pillay stated that a commission had determined Israel is responsible for committing genocide in Gaza. Earlier, on 2026-01-01, she had dedicated her Nobel Prize to survivors of international crimes.