Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the [Israeli-]occupied territories, is suspicious of the motivation behind the recent flood of nations pledging to recognize a Palestinian state. In just the last ten days, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, among other countries have pledged to recognize a Palestinian state, but Albanese says that these countries should have done this long ago. She says that what they should all be immediately focused on now is stopping the genocide in Gaza. The endless debate over statehood has enabled Israeli settlers to grab more land, making statehood more difficult, she noted.
Albanese said that the Palestinians “have already won the legitimacy battle. Everyone knows what Israel has done to them for the past 77 years. They’ve already made history—and not through violence as some try to portray them—but with their perseverance and principles and trust in the justice system, which has not been their ally.”
Albanese called to “end the genocide today, end the permanent occupation this year, end apartheid … [and] guarantee equal rights for everyone.” She said that Israel’s complete withdrawal from the occupied territory is required by the September 17 deadline set by the UN General Assembly. Albanese also called for an arms embargo against Israel, and a termination of trade agreements. She further demanded accountability for Israeli war crimes, and for the crimes against humanity with which the International Criminal Court has charged top Israeli officials.
