“This is first of all an admission that crimes might be committed by Israeli soldiers.”

The UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has criticized Israel for instructing its soldiers to “cover or blur their faces before posting videos,” calling the directive a tacit acceptance of potential war crimes, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Describing the Israeli army’s approach as “shocking,” Albanese told Anadolu in an article published on Wednesday, that “Instead of advising its soldiers not to commit crimes, what (Israel) is saying is ‘cover your faces or blur your face before posting videos or try to get lawyers.'”

“This is first of all an admission that crimes might be committed by Israeli soldiers,” she added.

War Crimes – Hind Rajab Foundation Sends 1,000 Israeli Soldiers’ Names to ICC

Regarding an Israeli soldier’s recent escape to Argentina while facing imminent arrest in Brazil, Albanese highlighted the importance of universal jurisdiction.

“Universal jurisdiction is a powerful tool to bring justice where everywhere, everything else has failed,” she emphasized. “And it’s still retributive justice is necessary because it gives a signal to those who exercise power and force that they are not immune from the application of the law.”

Israel Violated Rules of Laws

Albanese said Israel violated rules of international laws, including prohibition of aggression, annexation of territory by force, imposing a regime of racial discrimination, apartheid, torture, and genocide, the report added.

She warned Arab nations on the talk of an expanding “Greater Israel” among Israeli leaders and figures in society saying “Now they are openly talking of southern Lebanon belonging to them and part of Syria, looking into Jordan.”

‘No Doubt’ – UN Special Rapporteur Says Israel is Committing Genocide

(This hubris) will stop where the international community draws a line,” she reportedly said. “Go back to where you belong, because we recognize the state of Israel and this is it. You cannot exercise self-determination on land inhabited by others.”

She said Israel pushed the limits of permissibility, not under international law, but within its broad exclusivism, allowed by the international community.

“Impunity breeds impunity and it’s a very contagious disease,” Albanese reportedly stated.

She said emerging evidence, images, and testimonies paint a “very grim picture” of civilians who are targeted through bombardments, snipers, drones and automated weaponry.

Western Leaders’ Complicity

The UN rapporteur slammed particularly Western leaders who “preach about human rights and universal values every other day and simply do not see the Palestinians as human.”

She noted, “I have heard statements, particularly by American and German politicians, (that) frankly seem not to belong to the 21st century.”

US House Passes Bill to Sanction ICC after Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

Albanese highlighted the contradiction to the progress made in the past 80 years, following World War II and the Holocaust, which she said “profoundly marked” the Western world’s conscience, the report added.

Calling the US “attack” on the International Criminal Court (ICC) “dangerous and shameful,” the UN rapporteur said its attitude towards ICC reflects the “hubris of US political leadership.”

She accused the US of not viewing the rest of the world as equals, including its closest Western allies, some of whom have pledged to uphold ICC jurisdiction and arrest anyone with an ICC warrant on their soil.

Attacks on Journalists

Albanese criticized as “shameful” some ICC members’ refusal to enforce the arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the besieged Gaza Strip. The order compels the ICC’s 124 member states to arrest them should they enter their territory.

I had a word to say against the lack of international support for Palestinian journalists pic.twitter.com/9Rdj81bDT3

— Abubaker Abed (@AbubakerAbedW) January 9, 2025

Commenting on the killing of Anadolu’s freelance journalist Saed Abu Nabhan by an Israeli sniper,

Albanese said, “Palestinian journalists have been targeted at an unprecedented level,” adding that “there has been a particular vengefulness, spirit of revenge because they were the storytellers.” Andadolu’s freelance journalist Saed Abu Nabhan is among the more than 200 journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023.

Ongoing Genocide

The ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, has led to a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale. As the death toll among besieged and starved Palestinian civilians continues to rise daily, Israel is currently facing charges of genocide against Palestinians before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 46,707 Palestinians have been killed, and 110,265 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023. pic.twitter.com/QlarRP01hp

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 15, 2025

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 46,707 Palestinians have been killed, and 110,265 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

The toll is expected to rise further, with at least 11,000 people still unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes across Gaza.

Millions Displaced

The war, which Palestinians call “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” began after a military operation carried out by Hamas on Israeli territory. Israel reports that 1,139 of its soldiers and civilians were killed during the initial attack on October 7. However, Israeli media have raised concerns that a significant number of Israeli casualties were caused by ‘friendly fire’ during the assault.

Ceasefire Talks: Israel, Hamas Near Agreement on Gaza Prisoner Exchange

Human rights organizations, both Palestinian and international, have reported that the overwhelming majority of the casualties in Gaza are women and children. The ongoing violence has also exacerbated an acute famine, with thousands of children among the dead, highlighting the severity of the humanitarian disaster.

The war has displaced nearly two million people from their homes across Gaza, with the majority of the displaced forced into the already overcrowded southern region of the Strip. The population in Gaza remains trapped in the ongoing conflict, with little access to basic necessities such as food, water, and medical care.

(Anadolu, PC)