The Israeli flag at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. Photo: Hynek Moravec via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Wednesday issued a scathing report Wednesday, censuring Israel for using “force that has at times been deemed excessive” against the Palestinians, “which may have amounted to extrajudicial executions.”

The report issued by the U.N. body states that from April 1, 2016 to March 31 of this year Israeli security forces killed 63 Palestinians, including 19 children, and wounded 2,276 others, among them 562 children.

Among other things, the ECOSOC report states the U.N. Committee against Torture “expressed concern about a number of Israeli practices towards Palestinian detainees, including minors,” and that, “No criminal investigation was opened into more than 1,000 complaints of torture or ill-treatment filed since 2001.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon blasted the report, saying, “This is another blood libel against Israel,” and vowed to “fight against this distorted and false report. We won’t allow slandering of IDF soldiers.”

The release of the ECOSOC report follows a controversial report by the United Nations-affiliated Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in March that described Israel as an “apartheid regime.” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres distanced himself from the report, while U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley expressed “outrage,” calling on Guterres to withdraw it.