Francesca Albanese demands countries cut all ties with Israel

In a searing address before the United Nations, Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories responds directly to the Israeli representative, declaring, “You’re the one accused of genocide.” Her remarks then lay bare what she describes as the grotesque moral and political failures that have enabled the devastation in Gaza and the oppression in the West Bank.

Albanese argues that the international community’s decades of complicity through weapons sales, trade partnerships, and diplomatic silence have sustained Israel’s militarised apartheid and fueled a genocide against the Palestinian people. She warns that no state may lawfully assist another in committing international crimes and insists that international law is not a matter of charity or political convenience, but a binding obligation.

She calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, for Israel’s full withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territory, and for an end to the occupation, apartheid, and systemic violence that underpin the conflict. Albanese demands the suspension of all military, trade, and diplomatic ties with Israel until it complies with international law, while urging accountability for those complicit in crimes of genocide and war.

Framing the Palestinian struggle as central to a broader movement for global justice, she envisions a new multilateralism; one grounded not in power or privilege but in rights and dignity for all. Closing with a message of defiance and solidarity, she tells the people of Palestine: “Your struggle is seen, your resilience is honoured, and the world is awakening with you."

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