UN Expert: Israel Committing One of the “Most Brutal Genocides in Modern History” in Gaza
UN’s Francesca Albanese urges arms embargo and suspension of trade ties with Israel, citing systemic atrocities and corporate complicity in Gaza and the occupied territories.
Watan-On Thursday, UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, called on countries to impose an arms embargo and cut commercial and financial ties with Israel, stating that it is waging a “campaign of genocide” in Gaza.
Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council, Albanese declared, “The situation in the occupied Palestinian territories has surpassed the level of catastrophe.”
In remarks that were met with strong applause, she added:“Israel is responsible for one of the most brutal genocides in modern history.”
The Israeli diplomatic mission in Geneva has not yet responded to a request for comment on Albanese’s statement.
UN Expert Calls for Global Sanctions as Israel Boycotts Human Rights Council
Israel denies accusations of committing genocide in Gaza, claiming it has the right to defend itself following the October 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Israel’s representative was absent from the session, in line with a new policy of boycotting the Human Rights Council, which Israel claims holds an antisemitic bias.
Albanese—one of dozens of independent UN experts tasked with documenting global human rights violations—was presenting her latest report to the council. In it, she named over 60 companies allegedly involved in supporting Israeli settlements and military operations in Gaza.
She told the Council:“What I am revealing is not just a list—it is a system. And this system must be dismantled.”
Albanese urged nations to “reverse course” and called for a comprehensive arms embargo, the suspension of all trade agreements, and ensuring that companies face legal consequences for their complicity in violations of international law.
Earlier this week, the Israeli diplomatic mission in Geneva had described Albanese’s latest report as “legally baseless, defamatory, and a blatant abuse of her mandate.”
