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UN Middle East peacekeeping staff suspended over sexual misconduct after shocking video goes viral
Two male UN staff members were placed on leave after a video showing a woman straddling a man in the back of a UN-marked vehicle in Tel Aviv went viral.
2 min read
The video showed a woman straddling a man in a UN-marked vehicle [AFP/Getty]
Two members of a United Nations Middle East peacekeeping operation have been suspended after an initial inquiry concluded they had engaged in sexual misconduct in Israel, Reuters reported.
The male staff members were investigated after a video showing a woman straddling a man in the back of an UN-marked vehicle in Tel Aviv was circulated widely on social media.
The male staff members were investigated after a video showing a woman straddling a man in the back of an UN-marked vehicle in Tel Aviv was circulated widely on social media.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement late on Thursday: "Two male international staff members who were in the UN vehicle in Tel Aviv have been identified as having engaged in misconduct, including conduct of a sexual nature".
The video pictured staff from the Jerusalem-based United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO), Dujarric said in comments shared by Reuters.
The UNTSO is a peacekeeping force which monitors the situation in southern Lebanon and the Golan Heights.
The two men were placed on administrative leave without pay, Dujarric said, highlighting the seriousness of the allegations.
The UNTSO referred to Dujarric's statement when asked for a comment from Reuters.
The "behaviour seen in (the video) is abhorrent and goes against everything we stand for," the organisation had earlier said.
Warning: Clip contains scenes of a sexual nature
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