UN special rapporteur calls for halt to direct arms sales to Israel

The United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese called for a halt to direct arms transfers to Israel and a review of Israel's UN credentials to demonstrate that impunity will not be tolerated.

She made these remarks on Wednesday during a news conference on "Human rights violations in Gaza and across the occupied Palestinian territory" at the UN in Geneva, adding that more than 44,000 people have been ascertained killed by Israeli snipers and bombs, 70% of whom are women and children.

“More than 100,000 and still counting are the wounded. Thousands are unable to be treated, let alone cured for the most basic diseases, and if it was not enough, they will now have to go through the second winter living in makeshift camps without adequate food or clothing,” she said

Albanese spoke along with Margaret Satterthwaite, special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; Ben Saul, special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, and George Katrougalos, special rapporteur on promoting a democratic and equitable international order.

The press conference explained human rights violations in Gaza and throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, with UN experts criticizing verbal attacks on the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Currently, the ICJ is hearing two major cases related to the Gaza conflict: one from South Africa accusing Israel of genocide through direct killing and withholding essential resources, and another from Nicaragua challenging Germany over its arms supplies to Israel.

Population uprooted
Albanese said Gaza’s entire population of Gaza has been uprooted, often multiple times, hundreds of thousands have lost their homes forever, and children are unsure whether they will be able to return to school.

She said, “In the past four months alone, nearly 19,000 children have been hospitalized for acute malnutrition. Famine today is a reality.

“As we see humanitarian aid being blocked in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, militarized Israeli security operations, settlement expansion, evictions, demolitions, violence, and threats of annexation are inflicting further pain and injustice on the Palestinians, who are subject to an unlawful and intensified shoot to kill policy.”

The ICJ on Nov. 21 announced that it had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes committed in Palestinian territories, including Gaza.

Margaret Satterthwaite, for her part, said since the arrest warrants were issued, “dozens of states” have affirmed their support for the court and their intention to comply with their legal obligations to cooperate with the ICJ.

“However, I am gravely concerned that a number of states have reacted in exactly the opposite manner, verbally attacking the court, its judges, and the prosecutor, at times in language that is entirely inappropriate,” said Satterthwaite, noting that officials from one country, believed to be Israel, labeled the court as having an antisemitic bias.

“An elected official from another state characterized the court as a ‘dangerous joke,’ another called the ICC a ‘kangaroo court,’ and disparaged the prosecutor in terms I will not repeat.”

The UN expert said some of the statements against the court have included threats of sanctions against ICJ officials and even worse.