Albanese warned that if Germany has indeed chosen to align itself with a state committing international crimes, it is a political decision that carries significant legal consequences.
UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, has voiced deep concerns regarding Germany’s support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza, particularly in light of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s recent defense of Israel’s actions.
In a post on X, Albanese cautioned about the legal consequences of backing a state accused of committing international crimes, emphasizing the potential ramifications of such a stance on global justice.
Baerbock addressed the German Federal Assembly on Monday, justifying Israeli strikes on civilian areas by asserting that “self-defense means not only attacking terrorists but destroying them.”
She continued, “When Hamas terrorists hide behind people, behind schools… civilian places lose their protected status because terrorists abuse it.”
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Albanese strongly disagreed with Baerbock’s interpretation, stating, “As a UN Independent Expert, I am deeply concerned by the stance Germany is taking on Israel/Palestine, and its dangerous implications and consequences.”
Albanese highlighted the need for accountability in the face of military aggression, urging Baerbock to provide evidence for her claims about the legality of Israel’s actions.
“Minister Baerbock should be invited to provide the evidence of what she claims,” she insisted.
Albanese warned that if Germany has indeed chosen to align itself with a state committing international crimes, it is a political decision that carries significant legal consequences.
“May justice prevail where politics abhorrently failed,” she added, stressing the urgent need for adherence to international law and human rights standards.
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‘Abhorrent’
For its part, the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas condemned Baerbock’s statements as “abhorrent.”
In a statement, Hamas argued that her remarks gave Israel the green light to commit further acts of genocide against Palestinians, violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention of Genocide. The group described Baerbock’s defense as an open admission of Germany’s complicity in supporting Israel’s continued aggression.
Hamas expressed strong disapproval of Baerbock’s justification of military actions, saying that “this reflects a Zionist mentality devoid of all human values and principles.”
They asserted that the German government bears full responsibility for the political, legal, moral, and humanitarian impacts of these actions, particularly regarding the ongoing suffering in Gaza.
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 42,438 Palestinians have been killed, and 99,246 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
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Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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