Khaberni - The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, chose Cape Town for the presentation of her latest report after being denied entry into the United States due to sanctions imposed by Washington.
The report, which spans over 50 pages, names 63 countries along with numerous entities and companies, accusing them of complicity in the "genocide in Gaza," pointing out that complicity "is not only direct action. Complicity also includes silence, material support, diplomatic protection, and trade with the oppressor."
Albanese also delivered a sharp speech at the "Grote Kerk" church in front of a large audience, emphasizing that what the Palestinians are facing "has no parallel in modern history," calling for practical steps including economic boycott and adherence to international law.
South Africa, which has severed its relations with Israel and filed a lawsuit against it before the International Court of Justice, hosted Albanese in an event that included religious and human rights institutions, most notably the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the global BDS movement.
The event was concluded with a solidarity message from the occupied West Bank, where Albanese emphasized: "This must be the last genocide in human history."
Albanese had previously condemned the American sanctions imposed on her, describing them as "mafia tactics" aimed at "tarnishing her reputation."
Albanese, in her statements to the press, expressed that she would present her latest reports to the United Nations from South Africa after the American sanctions prevented her travel to the UN headquarters in New York.
The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced in July last sanctions on the Special Rapporteur, denouncing her criticism of Washington and Israel over the war in Gaza.
During a session of the UN General Assembly, sharp criticisms were directed at Albanese by representatives from Israel, the United States, and European countries, to which she responded affirming that "silence and material and diplomatic support are forms of complicity."
Albanese, speaking to the agency from South Africa, stated: "I cannot go to the United States.. My accounts are frozen, my daughter is American and my husband works for an organization based in the United States, and the whole family is paying the price for this."
She added that "the sanctions imposed on me by the United States are an insult, not only to me but also to the United Nations," comparing them to "mafia tactics" in Italy, her country of origin, where gangs tarnish someone's reputation to deter them from continuing to engage in justice issues."
Mandela's Cell
On the morning of October 26, Francesca Albanese visited Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his imprisonment, entering his cell number 5, and staying there for minutes of silent reflection before beginning a series of meetings with Palestinian scholars and activists and the Muslim Council of Scholars in Cape Town, emphasizing the "moral necessity for solidarity with the oppressed."
The following day, she delivered a lecture at the University of Cape Town calling for an academic boycott of Israel, and protection of freedom of expression for students and professors supporting Palestine.
On October 28, she presented her new report "Gaza: Genocide" from the Desmond Tutu Center in Cape Town, having been banned from entering the United States and stating: "The truth does not need New York. It can be said from here, from the place that defeated injustice."
"Genocide Report"
The report, spanning over 50 pages, accuses 63 countries of complicity in the genocide in Gaza, through military, economic, and diplomatic support, or silence. This includes the more than 17.9 billion dollars in military aid provided by the United States to Israel. It also mentions the US veto of a ceasefire resolution in Gaza three times.
The report also criticizes the ongoing dealings of some countries with Israel despite the rulings of the International Court of Justice, including European countries such as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, Arab countries that continued normalization and security cooperation with Israel, as well as major companies such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, accused of providing technological services used in military operations.
Albanese noted that what occurred from "genocide, must be the last in human history," praising South Africa, which has filed a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice and severed its relations with it, considering its stance "a model to be followed."
Albanese also sent a message to the Palestinians: "Your struggle is visible, your resilience is respected, and the world is waking up with you," calling for the enforcement of international law and sanctions against Israel similar to those imposed on the apartheid regime previously.
In her concluding remarks, she noted that justice for Palestine "is not an option, but a legal and moral obligation," and that the global BDS movement is gaining momentum, and that the end of Israeli apartheid "is a matter of time."
