Jewish groups and a Danish ex-minister savage Nobel Committee's decision to honour Navi Pillay over anti-Israel bias

From the Newshound archive · first published 11 October 2026 · last updated 12 October 2026.

The Nobel Peace Prize Committee's choice of South African jurist Navi Pillay, 85, as its 2026 laureate has provoked sharp criticism from Jewish advocacy groups, UN watchdogs and a former Danish foreign minister. Pillay, who led a UN commission that found Israel guilty of genocide in Gaza, stands accused of entrenched anti-Israel bias and of giving cover to antisemitic rhetoric. The announcement coincided with Trump imposing new sanctions on the International Criminal Court, which Pillay described as 'unheard of, unacceptable'.

Anne Bayefsky of Human Rights Voices accused Pillay of 'perverting legal and universal standards of human rights to demonize Jewish self-determination', calling the award 'a testament to human wrongs.'

Former Danish foreign minister Per Stig Møller said he was 'shocked' and that Pillay was 'not qualified', claiming she had pressed Denmark to suppress publication of the Muhammad cartoons rather than stand behind free expression.

Trump's new ICC sanctions — targeting judges over the rulings they hand down — took effect on the very day Pillay was named winner, casting serious doubt over the future of international courts.