Follow-up – Al-Rashid
The United Nations Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, said, “What we are seeing in Gaza is a set of unprecedented war crimes,” noting that she has been exposed to several threats since she began preparing her report.
She stated, “What Israel is committing reflects its intention to destroy everything that is classified as genocide,” noting that “since the year 1947, the Palestinian people have lived through practices that pave the way for genocide.” She said in this context: “We need more research to determine whether what happened in ’48 is genocide.”
The UN rapporteur confirmed that “Israel manipulated international humanitarian law to justify its violations in Gaza, and if the Criminal Court were serious about investigating Gaza, it would be busy for decades.”
The rapporteur pointed out that “Israel said that its goal was to destroy Hamas, but its actions led to the killing of many civilians,” adding that what Israel is doing in Gaza is creating conditions that make life impossible for the Palestinians.
Albanese called on the world to “confront Israel’s brutality and abide by international law.”
The United Nations Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories said that she could not be sure whether her report would speed up the procedures of the International Court of Justice, noting that her goal was not to influence the Court of Justice, but rather to confirm commitment to international law.
She pointed out that she did not address whether genocide applies to the West Bank as well, stressing that Israel does not respect international law and we need a force to separate Palestinians from Israelis.
