UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese urges arms embargo & sanctions on Israel over war crimes in Gaza
A demonstrator with a Palestinian flag outside the ICC, during a rally urging prosecution of Israel’s army for war crimes, 29 November 2019
Transcript of the interview with Francesca Albanese on Democracy Now on 12 March 2024:
Amy Goodman: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
As we continue to report on Gaza, we’re joined by Francesca Albanese, United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, joining us from Tunis today. As you listen to the report on the ground in Rafah and you hear also, in addition to international groups, a dozen Israeli human rights organizations are demanding of the ICJ, the International Court of Justice, that Israel abide by its demand, request — you can explain whether it’s legally binding — to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and Netanyahu’s denial that there is a famine problem.
Francesca Albanese: Hi, Amy and Juan. And thank you for having me back.
First of all, it’s very painful to listen to the testimonies from Gaza, because as someone who has seen this tragedy unfolding, this catastrophe unfolding, from the very beginning, and knowing that the situation in Gaza was already desperate for many before the 7th of October, again, I hear them in pain, especially at a time that is holy like the Ramadan.
I’m glad Israeli organizations are forcefully asking for compliance with international law, because this is what has been violated through and through. International law sets clear obligation on warring parties to deliver aid and allow in and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief to the civilians in need in a situation of armed conflict.
And this is all the more serious in Gaza, given that on the 26th of January, the International Court of Justice issued an order that requested Israel to take immediate and effective measures to enable the permission of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life facing the Palestinians in Gaza. This has not happened. On the contrary, after the 26th of January, we have seen, on the one hand, increasing fighting, increasing shelling and killing of civilians desperately gathering for aid, the bombing of convoys and airdropped food, although the airdropped food, in any case, is dangerous, as we have seen. It has killed people in Gaza. And it’s a false factor. It cannot deliver the aid to everyone in need. On the other hand, we have seen also the deliberate targeting of UNRWA, which is the only organization who can orderly deliver humanitarian aid and food, on top of the increasing restrictions on the aid that can come in.
In the face of all this, Amy, I certainly welcome the opening of a humanitarian corridor, of a maritime corridor between Cyprus and the Gaza Strip. At the same time, this risks to be a drop in the ocean, as if, it was said before, the crossings between Israel and Gaza are not open, and if the humanitarian access is not fully guaranteed, within the scope of a ceasefire, because, ultimately, the only way to save lives is to stop bombing the Gaza Strip.
Juan González: Well, Francesca Albanese, we’ve been hearing now for weeks that negotiations were proceeding. Any day there would be a ceasefire. Any day. But the days keep passing, and the war continues. Do you feel that the United States and the Western powers are doing enough to pressure Israel on the issue of ceasefire?
FA: I see the United States and most Western powers doing enough to continue this situation, this monstrosity, because there is no other way to qualify this. And certainly not enough is being done to prevent it, because the only thing at this point — and again, I want to stress once again, there is an order of the ICJ which imposes obligations not just on Israel, but also on third states, and these obligations are being violated. They send back to the — I mean, they refer back to the Genocide Convention. So it’s very critical, what they are doing and not doing. And this entails — this might entail responsibilities for these states, as well. But what should be done is an arms embargo right now and sanctions, because Israel is not in compliance with critical measures ordered by the ICJ, and this is not something that should be treated with negligence.
AG: Francesca Albanese, do you know why Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court, the other court, outside of the International Court of Justice, has not brought Netanyahu up on charges?