Israel’s occupation has crossed the ‘red line of legality,’ says new UN rapporteur
In an interview with Al-Monitor, the newly appointed UN special rapporteur for the Palestinians, Francesca Albanese, speaks about her plans to address human rights violations in the Palestinian territories, while fending off a smear campaign launched against her by Israel.
Italian international lawyer Francesca Albanese is full of energy and ready to carry out the mandate she was recently tasked with. Albanese said that the position of special rapporteur for the Palestinians, which she was elected to for a six-year term in February, is dedicated to an independent expert.
“The UN Human Rights Council has mandated me to investigate and report on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories — that means the West Bank, including east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.”
The Italian lawyer and researcher, the first woman to occupy the UN position, says she believes in the importance of academic rigor and will certainly carry out her assignment with integrity.
During her years working with UNRWA and researching the Palestinian refugee issue, Albanese gained important insight. “As part of my academic research on the Palestinian refugee issue, I believe that I am well aware of the root causes of the conflict.”
She says that her role in the new job is to investigate Israeli violations committed in the occupied Palestinian territories in violation of international law.
“According to international law, occupation is to be temporary, justified by military necessity and in the interest of the occupied people,” she said.
The question of the applicability of international law has loomed big with the war in Ukraine. Albanese expressed her deep solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
She said that “ignoring the case of Palestine among others is no longer justified where continued human rights violations are taking place, while the international community can’t be seen as supporting human rights in Ukraine but failing to do anything about Palestine.”
On Israel’s refusal to accept the fact that the similarities make sense, Albanese said, “The Israeli government and its supporters' repeated claim of exceptionalism have been overused, and it has led to abuses and double standard. It is about time for the international community to question and act upon it.”
Comments (1)
News sites such as CNN & USA Today didn't bother to point out that yesterday's attack was a brutal murder spree aimed at killing Jews.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/325493