LONDON: Israel is carrying out a colonization policy toward Palestine, the UN special rapporteur on human rights for the Occupied Territories has told The Guardian.
Francesca Albanese, an Italian lawyer and human rights academic, has been the target of a campaign by pro-Israel groups to discredit her based on accusations of bias and antisemitism. Israeli ministers have also called for her resignation.
Albanese described the criticism as “intimidation, no more, no less,” adding that it amounted to “dogs barking at aeroplanes.”
She told The Guardian: “For me, apartheid is a symptom and a consequence of the territorial ambitions Israel has for the land of what remains of an encircled Palestine.”
She added: “Israel is a colonial power maintaining the occupation in order to get as much land as possible for Jewish-only people. And this is what leads to the numerous violations of international law.”
Discussing claims that she had equated the Nakba with the Holocaust, Albanese said: “In as much as the Holocaust has been a defining moment in the collective life of the Jewish people, so is the Nakba, for the Palestinian people.
“So I’ve not said that they are the same, simply because they are not. Why would we compare two tragedies?”
The UN is marking the Nakba for the first time in its history on Monday. Albanese has submitted her first report on Palestinian self-determination to the UN General Assembly.
It is set to be followed by a report on Israel’s systemic arrest of Palestinians, which she says amounts to deprivation of liberty.
“If states are really committed to the two-state solution, as the UK seems to be, rhetorically in my view, like all other Western states, they should make sure that Israel’s conduct is aligned with the possibility of having a Palestinian state, which means sovereignty from a political, economic, cultural point of view. The right to self-determination should be the starting point,” Albanese said.
“Member states need to stop commenting on violations here or there, or escalation of violence, since violence in the occupied Palestinian territory is cyclical, it is not something that accidentally explodes.
“There is only one way to fix it, and that is to make sure that Israel complies with international law.”
Albanese said Britain is failing to uphold international law with regard to Israel’s actions, adding: “The responsibility on the UK is higher considering the historical legacy of the UK in the area.
“The UK doesn’t seem to be active on this agenda, such as compliance with international law. It is about time there is a paradigm change toward the question of Palestine.”
