Geneva: An independent United Nations expert issued a stark warning on Monday that an escalation in the Israeli military operation in the Palestinian territories will have massive consequences. Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 2006, sounded the alarm on “genocidal violence” conducted by Israel in Gaza, which was impacting the West Bank and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory.
Genocidal Violence and Escalation: Albanese has been outspoken on the issue of human rights violations in the region. In July, she described the recent escalation of Israel’s military operation in the West Bank as “dangerous escalation.” She declared, “Israel’s genocidal violence risks leaking out of Gaza and into the occupied Palestinian territory as a whole. The writing is on the wall, and we cannot continue to ignore it.”
Growing Evidence of Unchecked Control: Albanese reaffirmed that no Palestinian is secure under what she termed “unfettered control” by Israel. She said violence in the West Bank had surged since the October 7 raid inside Israel by Hamas-in this case, at least 26 Palestinians since Wednesday have been killed when Israel launched simultaneous raids across the northern West Bank.
International Calls for Action: The situation has elicited wide condemnation, as Middle Eastern and Western governments, along with UN officials, urge Israel to cease the widespread operations in the occupied Palestinian territory it captured in 1967. Albanese pressed the international community to “do everything it can to immediately end the risk of genocide against the Palestinian people under Israel’s occupation, ensure accountability, and ultimately end Israel’s colonization of Palestinian territory.”
Albanese’s statement underlined the dire need for international intervention to stall the process of further escalation and prevent the loss of more Palestinian lives in the occupied territories. As the violence spirals further, the response by the global community will be the future of the region.