Men walk amid the debris of buildings the Israeli army damaged during a raid on the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank. (FP photo)
Geneva, March 14 (RHC)-- The UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory says what is happening in the West Bank is the “litmus test” of the Israeli regime’s ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians.
Referring to the displacement of 40,000 Palestinians in a single month, Francesca Albanese told journalists Thursday that forced displacement has been a constant in occupied Palestine since the Nakba.
“Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced. More than 350,000 were displaced in 1967, and Israel destroyed everything they left behind, preventing their return,” she said. “Genocidal violence has been happening since before October 7, 2023.”
Albanese said the ethnic cleansing occurring in Palestine “should be on the front pages of newspapers,” adding “the fact that it isn’t reflects their racist bias.”
She disclosed her communications with journalists regarding the matter, saying that truth and accuracy are “missing” from coverage of the occupied Palestinian territory. “I have spoken to journalists who have been told not to mention genocide and what is going on.”
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday, the UN official also pointed a finger at Arab countries, expressing her surprise at their limited ability to mitigate the ongoing atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territory. Moreover, she accused some Arab countries of conspiring against the Palestinians.
Albanese urged Arabs to unite in defense of the Palestinians rather than just talking about the reconstruction of Gaza, even as “genocide is continuing.”
The UN envoy said the entire world knows the Israeli regime is currently repeating in the West Bank what it has done in Gaza and that it wants all Palestinians to leave their land, while Arab countries and the international community do nothing.
“How many warnings does the international community need to receive?” she asked.
She also condemned Israel restrictions during Ramadan, saying there is no justification for banning Palestinians under the age of 55 from praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Albanese applauded South Africa, Spain, and Namibia for taking responsive measures against Israeli crimes.
