Afrasianet - The United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, has chosen the city of Cape Town to present her latest report after she was denied entry to the United States due to sanctions imposed by Washington.
The report, which runs more than 50 pages, names 63 countries along with several entities and companies, accusing them of complicity in the "genocide in Gaza," noting that complicity "is not just the direct act. Collusion is also silence, material support, diplomatic protection, and trade with the oppressor."
She also gave a sharp speech to a wide audience at the Groot Kirk Church, stressing that what the Palestinians are exposed to is "unparalleled in modern history", calling for practical steps that include an economic boycott and compliance with international law.
South Africa, which has severed ties with Israel and filed a lawsuit, has hosted against her before the International Court of Justice – Albanese in an event attended by religious and human rights institutions, most notably the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the BDS movement.
The event concluded with a message of solidarity from the occupied West Bank, with Albanese stressing: "This must be the last genocide in the history of mankind."
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, has previously denounced the US sanctions imposed on her, describing them as "mafia tactics" aimed at "discrediting her".
Albanese said in press statements that she would submit her latest report to the United Nations from South Africa after US sanctions prevented her from traveling to the UN headquarters in New York.
Last July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against the special rapporteur, denouncing her criticism of Washington and Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip.
The UN General Assembly session also witnessed sharp criticism of Albanese from representatives of Israel, the United States and European countries, to which they responded, stressing that "silence and material and diplomatic support are a form of collusion."
Albanese told the news agency from South Africa, as she prepared to deliver the "Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture" on October 25, "I can't go to the United States. My assets have been frozen, my daughter is American and my husband works for a US-based organization, and the whole family is paying the price for it."
"The sanctions imposed by the United States on me are an insult, not only to me, but to the United Nations as well," she said, comparing them to "mafia methods" in Italy, her hometown, where gangs "discredit someone... to deter them from continuing to engage in justice cases."
Mandela's cell
On the morning of 26 October, Francesca Albanese visited Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison, entering his cell number 5 and remaining silent minutes in a symbolic moment of reflection before starting a series of meetings with Palestinian scholars and activists and the Council of Muslim Scholars in Cape Town, emphasizing the "moral imperative of solidarity with the oppressed."
The next day, she gave a lecture at the University of Cape Town in which she called for an academic boycott of Israel and the protection of freedom of expression for pro-Palestinian students and professors.
On 28 October, she presented her new report, "Gaza: Genocide" from the Desmond Tutu Centre in Cape Town, after being denied entry to the United States, saying, "The truth doesn't need New York. It can be said from here, from the place where injustice has been defeated."
" Genocide Report"
The report, which spans more than 50 pages, accuses 63 countries of complicity in the genocide in Gaza, through military, economic and diplomatic support, or silence. This includes the United States' military aid to Israel that exceeded $17.9 billion, as well as the three American vetoes against the Gaza ceasefire resolution.
The report also criticizes the continuation of some countries in dealing with Israel despite the decisions of the International Court of Justice, and includes European countries such as Germany, France, and Britain, and Arab countries that have continued to normalize and cooperate with Israel, in addition to major companies such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, which are accused of providing technological services used in military operations.
Albanese said the genocide "must be the last in the history of mankind," praising South Africa, which has filed a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice and severed ties with it, calling its position "a model to follow."
Albanese also sent a message to the Palestinians: "Your struggle is visible, your steadfastness is respected, and the world is waking up with you," calling for international law enforcement and sanctions against Israel similar to those imposed on the former apartheid regime.
She concluded her speech by noting that justice for Palestine "is not an option, but a legal and moral obligation," that the global BDS movement is gaining momentum, and that the end of Israeli apartheid is "a matter of time."