ISTANBUL
UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories on Thursday called for cutting all ties with Israel at the Gaza Tribunal, a two-day event that brings experts and witnesses to examine Israel's war crimes in Gaza.
"All ties with Israel must be cut. This is what it means to comply with international law and obligations to assure third parties, corporations, charities, individuals, not to engage with Israel," Francesca Albanese said at the event held in London.
Pointing to the "clear" and "increasing" violations Israel has committed against the Palestinian people for decades, she reminded states of their obligation to ensure that the violations are brought to an end.
"When we consider the legal obligations of states, it's critical to understand that we are not talking about occasional and isolated violations of human rights and certain matters of improper conduct," she explained.
She underscored that the world today is facing a "long-standing structural" system of "widespread and systemic oppression and exploitation" against the Palestinians that has turned into a genocide.
"Israel wouldn't have been able to do what it has been doing and transforming an unlawful occupation into a genocide, into the theater of a genocide, without the active support of far too many states," Albanese said.
Reiterating the International Court of Justice recognition of Israel's intention to acquire sovereignty over the Palestinian territory, she reminded the legal requirement of states like the UK to seize all trade, investment, or economic relations with Israel.
She further added that the UN Arms Trade Treaty requires the UK to impose a full arms embargo on Israel in order to meet its legal obligations, underlining that as a party to the Rome Statute, the UK is also legally bound to comply with ICC arrest warrants for Israeli officials and to initiate its own proceedings against those suspected of crimes.
"All these create a situation in which the retention of ties by the UK with Israel is unacceptable. The longer the UK retains the ties, the more it contributes to legitimizing and normalizing the illegal and the festering of impunity. This failure to abide by long-standing international obligations alone might be sufficient to establish a case for claiming criminal complicity in the actions of Israel," Albanese also said.
The Gaza Tribunal, brought together witnesses, scholars, journalists, healthcare workers, and political figures to examine and give testimonies on "Britain’s role in Israeli war crimes in Gaza," started in central London.
The Israeli army has launched a brutal military offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 64,200 Palestinians in Gaza. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.