The Nobel peace prize has been awarded to Navi Pillay, the South African former UN human rights chief who chaired the UN commission that concluded Israel was guilty of genocide in Gaza.

That commission concluded last year that the state of Israel was guilty of genocidal acts in Gaza “with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza”, and said the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, its president, Isaac Herzog, and its former defence minister Yoav Gallant had “incited the commission of genocide”.

Israel refused to cooperate with the commission, arguing it was biased, and rejected its report as “scandalous”. The Israeli foreign ministry reacted furiously to news of Pillay’s award on Friday.

“If there were an award for lies, hatred, and blood libels, Navi Pillay wouldn’t just be a contender. She’d be a frontrunner,” the ministry said on X, adding: “Awarding Pillay the Nobel Peace Prize isn’t a recognition of justice. It’s the grotesque weaponization of an award to legitimize anti-Israel hatred and prejudice.

“Now that the Nobel commission has rewarded the biggest lie of the 21st century, Joseph Goebbels is certainly applauding from hell.”