Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon called on Wednesday for the resignation of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, following her remarks on the “eradication of Palestinians” from their land through “genocide.”
Danon posted on X, urging Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, to step down immediately.
This came in response to her statement to a UN General Assembly committee, where she stated that “developments in recent months cement my assessment that Israel is conducting a genocidal campaign against the Palestinians.”
“Once again, the UN has rolled out the red carpet for one of the most anti-Semitic figures in modern history, granting her a stage to spew baseless propaganda and lies,” Danon wrote.
He went on to address Albanese directly, saying, “Your presence at the UN is a disgrace, a betrayal of all moral standards. Resign immediately. Leave your credentials at the door and join your friends at Hamas and Hezbollah, where you belong.”
UN rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council and do not officially represent the United Nations.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Albanese responded to Danon’s allegations, saying: “It is not about me and I am not the story. The story is the fact that there are Palestinians who risk to be erased from their land.”
In her address to the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese expressed frustration, saying, “I always experience a sense of shock and delusion when I come to this room because many of you recite the same script you had last year.”
“Is it… pic.twitter.com/fn7ej30F9R
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 31, 2024
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN, also criticized Albanese, stating, she is “unfit for her role”.
Thomas-Greenfield went on to openly accuse the UN rapporteur of antisemitism, saying on her X account that “the UN should not tolerate anti-Semitism from a UN official appointed to promote human rights.”
Israel’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva also issued a statement, accusing Albanese of having a “hate-filled paradigm” and of being “a political activist” who regularly spreads antisemitism.
‘Genocidal Intent’
In a report released on Monday evening, Albanese described the situation in Gaza as the result of Israel’s exceptional circumstances and widespread impunity.
In her report, submitted to the UN General Assembly, Albanese highlighted what she termed a “long-term, intentional, state-organized forced displacement and replacement” of Palestinians, with increased intensity following the escalation of violence after October 7, 2023.
The report centers on Israel’s “genocidal intent,” placing the current situation within a broader framework of a decades-long pattern of territorial expansion and ethnic cleansing aimed at eliminating the Palestinian presence in Palestine.
“It shows a little bit of desperation.”
U.N. special rapporteur Francesca Albanese responds to U.S. officials accusing her of antisemitism, saying she is simply applying principles of international law and justice to the situation of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. pic.twitter.com/zYiSdk0aIN
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) October 31, 2024
Albanese stated that “the violence that Israel has unleashed against the Palestinians post-7 October is not happening in a vacuum, but is part of a long-term intentional, systematic, state-organized forced displacement and replacement of the Palestinians.”
The report further accuses Israel of hindering international investigative efforts, such as by barring access to fact-finding teams from the UN and the International Criminal Court.
The document asserts that “the persistent denial of access to United Nations mechanisms and investigators of the International Criminal Court (ICC) may constitute obstruction of justice, in defiance of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order that Israel allow international investigators to enter Gaza and take measures to ensure the preservation of evidence.”
Albanese argued that the ongoing “genocide is doubtlessly the consequence of the exceptional status and protracted impunity that has been afforded to Israel.”
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese was set to brief Congress today on her latest findings from Gaza. But in a last-minute twist, pressure from “higher-ups” led to the cancellation. The halls of Congress should echo with voices of truth and accountability, not fear and… pic.twitter.com/mec4KUfB6c
— Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) October 29, 2024
She pointed to alleged violations of international law by Israel, stating that “Israel has systematically and flagrantly violated international law, including (UN) Security Council resolutions and ICJ orders,” which, she said, has emboldened Israel’s defiance of international law.
Albanese added that “as the world watches the first live-streamed settler-colonial genocide, only justice can heal the wounds that political expedience has allowed to fester.”
Albanese called on the international community to take swift and decisive action, asserting that “member states must intervene now to prevent new atrocities that will further scar human history.”
She encouraged states to exercise all available political leverage, including implementing a full arms embargo and sanctions, to ensure that Israel ceases its assault against Palestinians, agrees to a ceasefire, and fully withdraws from occupied Palestinian territories as outlined in the ICJ’s advisory opinion of July 19.
Albanese urged nations to formally recognize Israel as an “apartheid state and persistent violator of international law” while also supporting comprehensive, independent investigations.
She additionally called for states to facilitate unobstructed humanitarian aid to Gaza, fully fund and protect UNRWA, and urged the ICC Prosecutor to investigate potential genocide and apartheid crimes committed by Israel.
(PC, AJA)
