RAMALLAH, (PIC)
The UN special rapporteur on the occupied territories, Francesca Albanese, accused Israel of breaching the orders issued recently by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) requiring it to take immediate steps to protect Palestinians’ rights and cease all activities that could constitute genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli occupation government was given until February 23 to report to ICJ on what it has done to comply with six orders the court issued, including one relating to ending incitement to genocide and another requiring immediate steps to improve the supply of humanitarian aid.
According to the Guardian website on Saturday, Albanese does not agree with the interpretations of Israel and some lawyers of ICJ’s judicial ruling that the acts mentioned by the court do not mean that they are prohibited so long as Israel undertakes them without genocidal intent.
She said that Israel’s atrocities and destruction of civilian infrastructure had continued since ICJ issued its ruling, aggravating the harsh living conditions in Gaza.
“The fatalities are not solely the result of bombings and sniper attacks,” she said in an interview with the Guardian. “They also occur due to a scarcity of medical supplies and treatment, and, most distressingly, due to inadequate access to food and potable water, forcing consumption of contaminated or polluted water.”
She said that Israel must respect the international court’s decisions, and countries must act decisively to prevent further injustice against the Palestinians.
In a related context, the Israeli occupation regime banned on Monday Albanese from entering Israel, according to an official announcement.
Minister of foreign affairs Israel Katz and minister of the interior Moshe Arbel said the ban was attributed to what they claimed to be Albanese’s “outrageous remarks” that the October 7 events were reactions to Israel’s ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people.
