UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese stated Israel cannot ensure law and order in the territories it unlawfully occupies. She urged states to intervene by invoking UN Charter Article 99, imposing sanctions, and deploying a peacekeeping force, or by passing a UN General Assembly resolution if the Security Council is blocked. Albanese also called for a halt to all trade and arms transfers to Israel.
The statements by Francesca Albanese highlight a significant international legal and political debate surrounding the conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Her calls for intervention, sanctions, and peacekeeping forces, along with the U.S. sanctions against her, underscore the deep divisions and escalating tensions in the region and the international community's response.
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, has stated that Israel cannot ensure law and order in the territories it "unlawfully occupies." She called for international intervention, urging states to halt all trade and arms transfers to Israel. Albanese specifically proposed that UN Secretary-General António Guterres invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter to flag a threat to peace. She further suggested that the UN Security Council should impose sanctions and deploy a peacekeeping force. If such actions are blocked by a veto, Albanese recommended that the UN General Assembly pass a "Uniting for Peace" resolution.
Albanese's outspoken criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza has drawn significant attention and controversy. She was among the first official voices to label the situation in Gaza as genocide. This stance has earned her powerful enemies, with Israel and U.S. officials, along with some antisemitism watchdogs and European governments, accusing her of antisemitism and inflammatory language. Conversely, human rights activists, Palestinians, some Israelis, and many online followers view her as a crucial voice exposing indifference to the conflict.
Adding to the pressure, Albanese is reportedly facing U.S. sanctions, which her family is challenging in a U.S. court on free-speech grounds. These sanctions, described as an escalation, would restrict her and her family's access to U.S. banking, travel, and technology. Albanese views these actions as a response to her direct criticism of what she perceives as complicity by governments and corporations in Gaza.