UN rapporteur on the Gaza war: "Staring into the abyss"
UN human rights expert Francesca Albanese has warned against a further escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in light of the Gaza war. Israel's attempt to eliminate the Islamist Hamas in response to its deadly attack on 7 October will probably only lead to further radicalization and is also illegal, she told the British Guardian.
The international community was now reaping a whirlwind because it had not heeded the concerns of those who - like herself - had criticized Israel's "systematic repression of Palestinian human rights". "We raised the alarm in the international community, the human rights community, but no one really listened," said Albanese.
The Italian lawyer is the UN Human Rights Council's rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Israeli government accuses her of being biased in favor of the Palestinians.
"We have now reached a dangerous point of no return and the chances of peaceful coexistence have fallen off a cliff. We are indeed staring into an abyss," she said. Albanese also expressed doubts that Hamas could be wiped out. The Islamist organization is "not just a military presence, but a political reality".
The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, specifically in the Gaza Strip, have led Francesca Albanese, the UN Human Rights Council's rapporteur, to voice concerns about a potential escalation. Despite Israel's attempt to eliminate Hamas following the deadly attack on October 7, Albanese believes this action could result in further radicalization and is illegal according to international law.
Source: www.dpa.com
