UN expert on Palestine: ‘It is very likely a genocide is being committed in Gaza’

OVIEDO, Spain

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on Palestine, told Spanish daily El Pais on Friday that Israel is “very likely” committing genocide in Gaza.

Highlighting the massive death toll — more than 24,000 people — the use of banned weapons, the 60,000 people wounded, the lack of health care resources, the humanitarian crisis and the fact that 1.9 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes, she called the attacks “the monstrosity of our century.”

“These figures are unparalleled in other contemporary conflicts,” she told the Spanish newspaper, citing the around 8,000 people killed in the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and the fewer than 8,000 civilian deaths in the Ukraine.

The Italian UN expert says she supports South Africa’s genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which she believes could succeed despite strong political pressure.

“The narrative that is still being spread is that Israel is acting in self-defense,” she said, arguing that Israel’s actions go far beyond the “limited and technical” concept of self-defense as defined in international law.

“Israel has invoked the right to rage war and use military force, which according to the jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice, does not exist,” she said.

Albanese argued that Israel has gone beyond self-defense by using “one-ton” bombs on densely populated areas, cutting off water, food, medicine, and fuel, as well as violating the principles of proportionality.

The UN special rapporteur said she sees genocidal intent in the language used by Israeli leaders, such as the defense minister calling Palestinians “human animals” or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invoking the biblical concept of Amalek.

The UN expert called on Western countries to move from words to concrete actions.

“Israel has destroyed Gaza’s infrastructure, made the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, has erased entire families, doctors, journalists … if that’s not enough to take high-level diplomatic, political and economic measures — what more do you need,” she said.

Albanese said countries that continue to sell weapons to Israel are complicit in crimes, whether genocide or war crimes.

On Thursday, she met Spain’s deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz. “Our country must do more,” Diaz posted after the meeting.

In the El Pais interview, Albanese also responded to those who call her antisemitic for her past use of the term "Jewish lobby."

“Everyone who dares to criticize Israel faces accusations of antisemitic … but today I would never use the term ‘Jewish lobby’ because it’s not correct. First, because it’s not just Jewish people who support Israel, there are also Christians. And because, for example, Jews in the US are protesting and saying Israel cannot attack Gaza in their name.”

Albanese began her term as UN special rapporteur in May 2022. Since then, Israel has not granted her permission to visit Israel or Palestine. Her predecessors including Michael Lynk and Richard Falk were also repeatedly denied entry.