Countries at UN rally behind expert who accused 'Israel' of genocide
Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, urged the UN Human Rights Council that countries should impose a weapons embargo and penalties on "Israel"
The UN expert who concluded that "Israel" was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip gained widespread support at the United Nations on Tuesday, with nations speaking up to back her and her report.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories, urged the United Nations Human Rights Council that countries should impose a weapons embargo and penalties on "Israel".
Expanding on her Monday article, Albanese asserted that "Israel" was characterizing the whole population of Gaza as "targetable, killable, and destroyable" and had boasted its "genocidal intent" to "rid Palestine of Palestinians."
'Acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza met'
In her article, she asserted there was sufficient evidence suggesting that "Israel" has engaged in multiple instances of "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing" in the Gaza Strip.
Albanese explained that the Israeli occupation has violated three of the five acts listed under the International Genocide Convention, stressing that the "overwhelming nature and scale of Israel's assault on Gaza and the destructive conditions of life it has inflicted reveal an intent to physically destroy Palestinians as a group."
In the report, Albanese also noted "reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of... acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza has been met."
Dozens of ambassadors, largely from Arab and Muslim nations, but also from Latin America, took the floor to support her mandate and work.
Pakistan, speaking for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, supported her proposal for sanctions and a weapons embargo, with its representative expressing support for Albanese's courage.
"The occupation force's dangerous and ruthless push for a final solution to the Palestinian question is plain for all to see, as its forces encircle Rafah like vultures and its ravenous land grab continues unabated in the West Bank," Islamabad's representative continued.
Egypt, speaking on behalf of Arab group nations, reaffirmed support for her mandate and expressed great worry over "Israel's" "structured and systematic attack to make the Gaza Strip uninhabitable."
Qatar, on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council, commended Albanese for her report and urged the world community to "put an end to genocide perpetrated by the Israeli war machinery."
Albanese told the UN rights body that the world could not hide away from the "conspicuous" and "ostentatious" genocidal intent of the Israeli occupation and should "prevent and punish" it.
"The genocide in Gaza is the most extreme stage of a long-standing settler-colonial process of erasure of the native Palestinians."
Special rapporteurs are independent specialists selected by the Human Rights Council, although they do not represent the UN.
Albanese's remarks ended with cheers in the chamber. "Israel" wasn't in attendance nor was its main ally, the United States.
"The harrowing number of deaths, the irreparable harm done to those who survive, the systematic destruction of every aspect necessary to sustain life in Gaza – from hospitals to schools, from homes to arable land – and the particular harm to hundreds of thousands of children, and to pregnant and young mothers – this can only be interpreted as constituting prima facie evidence of an intention to systematically destroy the Palestinians as a group," the UN expert said before the Human Rights Council.
She suggested that "the incalculable collective trauma will be experienced for generations to come."
Albanese noted that widespread anti-Palestinian rhetoric prevails throughout Israeli society, depicting the entire Palestinian population in Gaza as enemies to be eliminated and forcibly displaced.
"Calls for violent annihilation from Israeli high-ranking officials with command authority aimed at soldiers on duty on the ground serve as compelling evidence of explicit and public encouragement to commit genocide," she pointed out.
One major revelation from Albanese's report is that "Israel" have deliberately manipulated fundamental principles of international humanitarian law—such as distinction, proportionality, and precaution—to justify genocidal violence against the Palestinian population.
"By deliberately redefining the categories of human shields, evacuation orders, safe zones, collateral damage and medical protection, Israel has used their protective functions as ‘humanitarian camouflage’ to conceal its genocidal campaign," she explained.
The Special Rapporteur considered that "Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is an escalatory stage of a long-standing settler colonial process of erasure."
"For over 70 years, this process has suffocated the Palestinians as a people – demographically, culturally, economically and politically – crushing their inalienable right to self-determination in an attempt to displace them and expropriate and control their lands," she expressed.
"The ongoing Nakba must be stopped and remedied once and for all."
Israeli crimes in Gaza may keep ICC busy for next 50 years
The UN Special Rapporteur's denunciation of Israeli crimes and support for Palestinians is not new.
Earlier, Francesca Albanese said that "Israel's" crimes in Gaza for nearly six months could keep the International Criminal Court (ICC) busy for the next 50 years.
Albanese posted a video on X showing Israeli occupation forces pursuing and killing four Palestinian civilians in the city of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, with an armed drone.
"The colossal amount of evidence concerning international crimes committed by Israel in Gaza just over the past six months could keep the International Criminal Court busy for the next five decades, especially at the current proceedings pace," she warned.
She reiterated that holding "Israel" accountable is "more needed than ever" as it continues to commit crimes and genocide against the Palestinians.