Nobel Committee awards Peace Prize to judge Navi Pillay — Jerusalem Post
In Norway, the Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African judge Navanethem Pillay, known as Navi. She received the award for her efforts to promote peace and international law, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Pillay previously served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and as a judge of the International Criminal Court. She later chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
Israel's reaction
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Pillay intolerant of Israel and the members of the Nobel Committee people who had made an erroneous decision. The office of the head of the Israeli government said that the committee had lost its moral bearings.
Israel's Foreign Ministry also condemned the awarding of the prize, accusing Pillay of spreading false claims and hostility toward Israel. The ministry rejected the findings of the commission she chaired. That commission's report stated that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that senior officials of the country, including Netanyahu, had incited such actions.
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The Nobel Committee said that Pillay had held states and national leaders accountable, given hope to victims of violence and conflict, and demonstrated moral consistency throughout her career. The committee also mentioned her early human rights work, including her defense of Nelson Mandela and other opponents of apartheid.
Trump's statements and sanctions against the ICC
US President Donald Trump criticized the Nobel Committee's decision during an election rally in Syracuse, New York. He said that the prize should have been awarded to the United States and effectively to him, and also said that he had not previously heard of Pillay. Trump called the committee's decision a disgrace for Norway.
Several hours after the laureate was announced, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington would prohibit operations with the ICC in order to limit the institution's resources and work. ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan condemned the sanctions and said that they would not stop the court's activities.
