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On 14 December 2022, Israel’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva smeared the respected and eminent UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territory Occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, in a direct attempt to attack and undermine the mandate she has been entrusted with and thwart her expert human rights work on Palestine. The statement which contains baseless accusations of antisemitism, raises concerns about the “impunity that exists today regarding antisemitism and antisemitic comments made by UN officials”. More specifically, it refers to a historic Facebook post made by UNSR Francesca Albanese almost a decade ago, in 2014, which at the time reflected on the reasons for international inaction on the question of Palestine. Therein, UNSR Albanese opines, “America and Europe, one of them subjugated by the Jewish Lobby, and the other by the sense of guilt about the Holocaust remain on the sidelines […]”. Notably, 2014 was the darkest year in the occupation to date, characterised by devasting human loss, as Israel’s 50-day military offensive on the Gaza Strip, resulted in the killing of 2,215 Palestinians, including 1,639 civilians. The remarks served to castigate the international inaction.
Our organisations and groups warn that this smear campaign against UNSR Albanese constitutes the latest manifestation in a pattern of Israeli attacks aimed at silencing any legitimate criticism of the inhuman manner in which it treats Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Previously, Israel objected to the appointment of Francesca Albanese as UN Rapporteur, arguing that she “harbors significant bias against the Jewish State”, a reference directed to her widely acclaimed joint academic treatise on “Palestinian Refugees in International Law”, published by the prestigious, Oxford University Press. Such attempts to undermine the expertise of the UN Special Rapporteur to discredit the mandate are of particular concern given the importance of its functions: protecting at-risk communities, promoting transparency and calling for accountability of the perpetrators of rights abuses.
Notably, Israel has a demonstrated record of circumventing UN work in Palestine, including systematic non-cooperation with UN Special Procedures, in violation of its obligations under the UN Charter. Former UN Special Rapporteur, Michael Lynk was continuously denied entry into Palestine, measures which clearly intended to impede his work monitoring the human rights situation on the ground in the OPT. Similarly, former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk was denied entry into the OPT by Israel because of his “methodic criticism of Israel”. While UN Special Rapporteur Wibisono even resigned his position as his “efforts to help improve the lives of Palestinian victims of violations under the Israeli occupation have been frustrated every step of the way [by Israel]”.
Israel’s attempts to frustrate the monitoring and documentation of human rights abuses are not limited to this mandate and entry was also denied to UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women its Causes and Consequences, Ms. Rashida Manjoo, to prevent her from witnessing first-hand issues related to violence against women in Palestine. Denials of entry were similarly imposed on UN Fact-Finding Missions established to investigate the human rights situation in the OPT. Meanwhile, in 2020, Israel refused to grant visas to UN staff from the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, expelling 15 international staff from the OPT after 26 years of operating there, a situation which continues to this day. In a statement, then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet warned that, “Israel’s treatment of our staff is part of a wider and worrying trend to block human rights access to the occupied Palestinian territory… This raises the question of what exactly the Israeli authorities are trying to hide”.
There is an obvious link between this pattern of attacks on UN experts and staff and Israel’s intent to maintain its prolonged belligerent occupation, de facto and de jure annexations of Palestinian territory, the unlawful transfer in of settlers and institutionalised discriminatory laws, policies and practices to maintain the regime. This pattern of attacks against UN experts takes place within a shrinking space, which threatens the fundamental right of freedom of expression of those willing to expose Israel’s unacceptable human rights abuses in the OPT. It is time to cease Israel’s onerous and targeted restrictions on this freedom of expression, which in this case stymie reflection on the political enablers of Israel’s continued impunity for severe violations of international law, some of which are peremptory.
We commend UNSR Francesca Albanese’s tireless efforts toward the protection of human rights in the OPT and in raising awareness of the alarming daily violations of Palestinian rights. We call on third States to strongly condemn this politically-motivated attack on the Special Rapporteur’s mandate and to compel Israel to comply with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations.
List of endorsing organizations, groups and initiatives:
* The list of endorsing organisations included herein is as of 5 January 2023. Please note that this statement is still open for endorsement by organisations until 15 January 2023, through the following link here.
1. Academics for Palestine (Ireland)
2. Academy for Equality
3. Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
4. Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
5. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
6. Aldameer Association for Human Rights
7. Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man
8. Al-Quds Human Rights Clinic- Al-Quds University
9. American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)
10. Arab Agronomists Association
11. Arab Canadian Lawyers Association
12. Arab cause Solidarity Committee (CSCA)
13. Arab Lawyers Association (UK)
14. Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR)
15. Asociación Americana de Juristas
16. Association Belgo-Palestinienne WB
17. Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
18. Association Switzerland Palestine
19. AssoPacePalestina
20. Australian Centre for International Justice
21. BA4P/BACBI
22. BACBI Belgian Committee for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
23. BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
24. BDS Tokyo
25. BDS Vancouver/Coast Salish Territories
26. Bisan Center for Research and Development
27. British Committee for the Universities of Palestine
28. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
29. Center for Defense of Liberties & Civil Rights “HURRYYAT”
30. CJPME Saskatoon
31. Comhlamh Justice for Palestine
32. Cultura è Libertà. Una campagna per la Palestina
33. Dalhousie University
34. Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP)
35. Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
36. Dibeen For Environmental Development
37. Dutch Scholars for Palestine
38. EuroMed Rights
39. European Legal Support Center (ELSC)
40. Finnish-Arab Friendship Society
41. Freedom Archives
42. Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
43. Front Line Defenders
44. Gaza Action Ireland
45. Gesellschaft Schweiz-Palästina
46. Gibanje za pravice Palestincev Slovenija
47. Global Legal Action Network
48. Greater Toronto for BDS
49. Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
50. HK Norway – The Norwegian Union of Commerce and office employees
51. Housing and Land Rights Network – Habitat International Coalition
52. HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht
53. Human Rights & Democracy Media Center “SHAMS”
54. Human Rights for All (HR4A) Saskatchewan
55. ICAHD-USA
56. Independent Commission for Human Rights
57. International Association of Democratic Lawyers
58. International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
59. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
60. Jews for Palestine-Ireland
61. Jews for Palestinian Right of Return
62. Just Peace Advocates/Mouvement Pour Une Paix Juste
63. Justice Call
64. Justice for Palestinians
65. Kairos foundation of Nigeria
66. Labor for Palestine
67. Law for Palestine
68. Leiden University
69. Letters for Palestine
70. Liverpool John Moores University
71. Medico International
72. National Lawyers Guild International Committee
73. NorCal Sabeel
74. NOVACT
75. Oakville Palestinian Rights Association
76. ODV Salaam Ragazzi dell’Olivo Comitato di Trieste
77. Palestina Solidariteit vzw
78. Palestina Toma la Calle
79. Palestine Legal
80. Palestine Solidarity Alliance South Africa
81. Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Cape Town (PSC-CT)
82. Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
83. Palestinian and Jewish Unity
84. Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
85. Pax Christi Vlaanderen
86. Physicians for Human Rights Israel
87. Potchefstroom For Palestine
88. Regina Peace Council
89. Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance
90. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
91. South African BDS Coalition
92. South African Jews for a Free Palestine
93. Stellenbosch University Palestinian Solidarity Forum
94. Students4Change
95. The Canadian BDS Coalition
96. The Community Action Center/ Al-Quds University
97. The European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP)
98. The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO-Norway)
99. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
100. The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy-MIFTAH
101. The Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO)
102. The Rights Forum
103. U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)
104. Union of Palestinian Women Committees (UPWC)
105. United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
106. United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI)
107. University of Groningen
108. Vrede vzw – Belgium
