SarajevoAn independent U.N. investigator who has been vocal in her criticism of Israel’s behavior in Gaza said on Thursday that she was shocked to hear this but steadfastly maintained her position on the war.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Francesca Albanese claimed that the powerful were attempting to silence her for standing up for individuals who had no other option than to stand and hope they wouldn’t die or see the killing of their children.
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“This is a sign of guilt, not of power,” the Italian human rights attorney stated.
After an unsuccessful U.S. lobbying campaign to compel the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, the U.N.’s top human rights body, to remove Albanese from her position, the State Department decided to apply sanctions on the West Bank and Gaza leader.
She has been vocal against what she has called the genocide by the Palestinians and is responsible with investigating human rights violations in the Palestinian territory. The United States and Israel have both vehemently refuted that charge.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on social media that the Albanese campaign of economic and political warfare against Israel and the United States would no longer be accepted. Our commitment to our partners’ right to self-defense will never waver.
In order to secure a ceasefire agreement in the conflict in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Donald Trump and other officials. The International Criminal Court, which charges Netanyahu with crimes against humanity for his military campaign in Gaza, has issued an arrest warrant for him.
During the interview, Albanese accused American officials of honorably welcoming Netanyahu and standing next to someone who was wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), a body that neither Israel nor the United States recognizes or is a part of. Trump in February.
She asserted that we must unite in order to bring about the necessary change. They can’t keep us all quiet. They can’t murder us all. We can’t all be fired.
Albanese emphasized that eliminating fear and defending the Palestinians’ right to an independent state are the only ways to succeed.
She stated at the Sarajevo airport that the Trump administration’s stance is abnormal. Additionally, she boldly reiterated that until Palestine is free, no one is free.
Albanese was traveling to Friday’s 30th anniversary celebration of the 1995 Srebrenica tragedy, in which over 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were massacred when Bosnian Serbs overran a safe area that was protected by the United Nations.
The U.S. action was condemned by the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations.
According to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the imposition of fines on special rapporteurs is wrong and sets a dangerous precedent.
The United States and other U.N. members are free to disagree with the recommendations of the independent rapporteurs, but we encourage them to interact with the U.N. human rights architecture. Albanese reports to the Human Rights Council, not Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
In February, Trump declared that the United States was leaving the council.
On October 7, 2023, militants led by Hamas invaded Israel, killing around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and taking 251 hostage, sparking the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Over 57,000 Palestinians have been murdered in Israel’s retaliatory attack, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not state how many of the dead were civilians or fighters but claims that women and children make up the majority of the dead.
After a protracted Israeli siege on food entering the territory and a severe lack of medical care, the U.N. reports that hunger is widespread in Gaza, nearly 21 months into the conflict that has forced the great majority of the region’s 2.3 million residents to flee.
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This United Nations report was written by AP journalist Edith M. Lederer.
