UN rapporteur urges suspending Israel’s membership over “genocide” in Gaze
- 4 November, 10:46
Israel is receiving increased criticism over its handling of the war with Hamas that has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza.
In the latest of such backlash, UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese urged the organization to suspend the credentials of Israel over what she described as “genocide” in Gaza.
“It is time to contemplate suspending Israel’s credentials as a member state of the UN,” Albanese stated. “I recognize the sensitivity of this issue, as none of you have completely clean hands regarding human rights.”
Albanese asserted that no other country has disregarded so many UN resolutions for such an extended period. In her report, she stated, “Israel has followed a pattern of conduct ‘deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.’”
According to information provided by Palestinian authorities, as of October 31, 43,200 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli attacks in the enclave that started in October 2023. Last year, South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel at the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague, citing the country’s alleged violation of Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.
A number of Arab nations have also used the term “genocide” to describe the killing of large number of Palestinians. The International Court of Justice has indicated that there is a plausible case for genocide being committed, though it has not taken further action.
