LONDON, (PIC)
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, warned that time is running out to save Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip from ethnic cleansing, which is also extending to the occupied West Bank. She emphasized that the United Nations is currently fragmented and completely paralyzed in its ability to function as an organization.
Albanese described the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip as the most sadistic and militarized since the end of World War II in 1945, where people are killed by the dozens and hundreds within hours, saying, “nothing remains.”
In an interview with Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Tuesday, the UN rapporteur noted that “the realities on the ground in the Palestinian territories are extremely tragic, and the illegitimacy of the Israeli occupation and the associated infrastructure have become more apparent.”
She pointed out that the campaign of incitement by many pro-Israel organizations, that preceded the renewal of her mandate, is linked to her work. “One of the critical points in my work is to highlight the impunity granted to Israel by member states, particularly Western countries such as Germany, France, Canada, the United States, and the Netherlands.”
Albanese stressed that independent UN experts have been the most outspoken in condemning the grave and horrific violations of international law that have occurred in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Ethnic cleansing and a silent Nakba
Regarding the expulsion of two British MPs after they were detained at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, and the possibility of facing the same fate if she decided to go to Palestine, she said, “I have no reason to go to what remains of Palestine through Israel, as Israel has declared me a persona non grata.”
Albanese added, “But the important point is that the borders with Jordan and Egypt should not be under Israeli control; this is the most important thing I want your audience to understand, to be aware of, and to raise in discussions with governments. This should be a constant reminder.”
She affirmed that international law obliges all member states not to recognize the consequences of illegal occupation, stressing that the occupation, with its military components, settlements, control over natural resources, airspace, and borders, must come to an end.
She continued, “Palestinians must be allowed to enjoy the right to self-determination, that is, the right to exist as a people. It is wrong to allow Israel to continue controlling Gaza or to govern the West Bank.”
The UN rapporteur noted that ethnic cleansing has been a constant feature of Palestinian life under Israeli rule from the Nakba until today in various forms, including what can be described as a silent Nakba.
She expressed her belief that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a “great personal interest in the catastrophic extermination attack on Gaza. Now we see many in Israel raising their voices against this attack, but not enough to overthrow Netanyahu.”
A new international reality
Albanese believes that international law and the institutions operating within its framework are going through a “critical moment for a multilateral system” in light of a new international reality following Donald Trump’s rise to power in the US and the increasing strength of right-wing parties in Europe.
She asked, “What is the benefit of the international system if it fails to enforce its basic rules? Like the prohibition on the use of force except under certain circumstances; I mean, no one is truly challenging Israel’s right to self-defense, which is currently nonexistent,” noting a failure to respect international law, a failure to ensure humanitarian aid, and a failure to create space for peacebuilding.
Albanese emphasized that “what Israel is doing is not self-defense, but total destruction for ideological political purposes or mere self-interest, and there is no military necessity for the use of force. Therefore, the UN is now fragmented and completely paralyzed in its ability to act as an organization.”
She continued that international law has failed to stop the genocide, “not because of the limitations of the rules-based system, but due to non-functional enforcement mechanisms. International law is as strong as the will of states and their ability to enforce it.”
The UN rapporteur ridiculed French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement of Paris’s desire to recognize the Palestinian state “thirty years too late,” considering it a distraction from stopping the genocide. She also attacked the “audacity” of German universities that invited her to give lectures and then canceled without informing her, describing the new era as “an era of silencing academics.”
