UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese in an interview with the daily The Guardian warned that current efforts to recognise Palestine as an independent state must not overshadow the urgent need to stop the genocide, mass deaths and famine in the Gaza Strip.
Albanese stressed that recognition of Palestinian statehood is important and "long overdue". However, she warned that decades of political debate had not brought real progress, while Israeli settlements in the occupied territories were expanding and making it virtually impossible to establish a viable Palestinian state. "The territory is literally being eaten up by annexation and colonisation," she said.
International attitude towards Palestinian statehood
Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and other countries have announced that they will support recognition of Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the two-state solution "humanity's best hope for ending the cycle of violence in the Middle East."
However, Francesca Albanese said the move must not distract from the urgent need to stop the genocide in Gaza. She called for an immediate arms embargo on Israel, a suspension of trade agreements and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territories by 17 September, as set by the UN General Assembly. It also calls for Israeli officials to be held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court.
Criticism of the Great Powers and the UN
During her tenure, especially since the start of the Gaza war following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, Albanese has become one of the most prominent voices in defense of Palestinian rights. Her reports have often preceded the conclusions of Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch in labeling Israeli policies as apartheid and military operations in Gaza as acts of genocide.
The US sanctioned her for her stance, which she herself described as a sign of guilt and moral weakness. She also criticised the UN, which she sees as an institution in existential crisis, bound by a "veto-power mentality" instead of a genuine multilateral approach.
The economic side of the conflict
Albanese pointed out that occupation and war are a source of profit for some corporations. She called on the public to boycott companies profiting from Israel's occupation and war operations because "power is not only in the hands of governments, but also in the hands of consumers."
Palestinian perseverance
Despite the enormous suffering, she said, the Palestinians have already won the moral battle. "The world has known what has been happening to them for 77 years. They make history by their perseverance, not by violence," she said.
The Guardian/gnews.cz - GH
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