Judge Navi Pillay wins the Nobel Peace Prize 2026...and the first comment from Israel

(CNN) - The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South African judge Navi Pillay, in recognition of her efforts to "promote peace and international law."

Navi Pillay began her career as an anti-apartheid lawyer in her native South Africa.

Navi Pillay (85 years old) is a South African lawyer who fought against the apartheid regime, before becoming a prominent international judge, and she played “a pivotal role in ensuring the prosecution of perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,” according to the Nobel Committee.

Pillay served as a judge in a number of the most prominent international courts, including the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Court for Rwanda, and the International Court of Justice. She also served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights between 2008 and 2014.

Before moving to the field of international law, she played a key role in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, as she defended activists opposed to this regime and contributed to ensuring the rights of prisoners detained on Robben Island.

She was also the first black woman to hold the position of judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa, and the first woman to establish a law firm in Natal, her home province in South Africa.

On the other hand, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the decision to award Navi Pillay the Nobel Peace Prize, criticizing her for heading a United Nations committee that concluded that Israel had committed genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

The ministry said, in a scathing criticism it previously published on the “X” platform, Twitter: “Giving Pillay the Nobel Peace Prize is not a tribute to justice, but rather a hideous exploitation of the award as a weapon to legitimize hatred and bias against Israel.”

The ministry claimed that the award was a "reward for the biggest lie of the 21st century."

The 72-page UN committee report, published in September 2025, concluded that Israel had “committed four acts of genocide” in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched a devastating war on the Strip, following the Hamas-led attack on residential communities near the Palestinian Strip.

According to the report, these actions include killing Palestinians in Gaza and inflicting “serious physical and psychological harm” on them.

The report also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials of incitement to genocide.

Israel has always strongly rejected accusations of genocide against it.