The Free Press · October 9, 2026 · By Eli Lake
Norwegian Nobel Committee Awards 2026 Peace Prize to Navi Pillay
- On October 9, 2026, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, citing “her efforts to promote peace and international law,” per the committee’s announcement.
- Pillay, 85, served as a judge on South Africa’s High Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and the International Criminal Court (2003–2008), and was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
- She chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which concluded in 2025 that Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to genocide; Israel dismissed the finding. The prize carries 12 million Swedish kronor, with the ceremony on December 10, 2026 in Oslo.
Prize facts via the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s announcement and independent reporting (nobelpeaceprize.org, USA Today, Bloomberg); the column’s interpretive claims are not stated here. Original headline: "And the Nobel Prize for Antisemitism Goes to. . .".
Removed: the columnist’s characterizations (“octogenarian antisemite,” “kangaroo commission,” “murdered satire,” “defame the Jewish state”), the thesis that the award rewards accusing Israel of genocide, and the subscription pitch.