GENEVA: UN human rights experts have criticized mostly Western states for continuing to support Israel despite what they described as a genocide in Gaza, which might turn Israel into a “pariah” nation.
The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as a result of more than 11 months of conflict has prompted questions about Western states’ long-standing political and military support for Israel, including from the US and Britain, which provide arms.
“Shockingly, in the face of the abyss reached in the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territories) ... most member states remained inactive at best, or actively aiding and assisting Israel’s criminal conduct,” Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the OPT, told a press conference in Geneva, repeating allegations of genocide.
United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Rights Situation in the Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, delivers her rapport next to the president of the UN Human Rights Council Omar Zniber, during a session of the UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, on March 26, 2024. (AFP file photo)
Albanese, an Italian lawyer, said she was referring to Western states and others.
“I think it’s unavoidable for Israel to become a pariah in the face of its continuous, relentless, vilifying assault of the United Nations, on top of millions of Palestinians,” she said, citing verbal and military attacks on UN facilities in Gaza.
She also questioned Israel’s right to a seat at the UN, acquired in 1949. “Should there be a consideration of its membership as part of this organization, which Israel seems to have zero respect for?” she asked.
In response to her comments, Israel’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva criticized Albanese.
“She is not fit to hold any position at the United Nations, and this has been made clear by many,” it said.
In the past, her remarks on the Israel-Hamas conflict have drawn scrutiny, including from a US ambassador in Geneva who said she has a history of using “antisemitic tropes.”
Albanese was joined by three other UN independent experts who accused Western countries of hypocrisy and double standards, for example, by being more vocal over perceived rights violations by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine than of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
They are among dozens of independent human rights experts mandated by the UN to report and advise on specific themes and crises.
Their views do not reflect those of the global body as a whole.
