Francesca Albanese: "Liberal democracies are heading towards the Israeli model, with surveillance, control, and exclusion"
Francesca Albanese, UN rapporteur for Palestine, critiques liberal democracies for adopting an Israeli model characterized by oppression and exclusion of Palestinians.
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations rapporteur for Palestine, has been vocal for two years regarding her belief that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, while Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem live under an apartheid regime. Her reports, grounded in international law, have gained significant attention, detailing the Israeli military's operational tactics, and highlighting the complicity of major corporations and various governments in this systemic violence. Albanese's statements have sparked widespread debate, urging a reassessment of international responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Recently, Albanese released a book titled "Cuando el mundo duerme. Historias, palabras y heridas de Palestina" (When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words, and Wounds of Palestine), which is now available in Spain. The book aims to provide insights into the experiences of Palestinians while dissecting the broader implications of Israel's policies. It serves as a clarion call, encouraging readers to recognize the dire situation on the ground and to reflect critically on the roles that states and corporations play in perpetuating these injustices.
Albanese's work raises crucial questions about the moral responsibilities of nations in situations of apparent genocide and oppression. By drawing parallels between contemporary governance approaches in liberal democracies and the Israeli model of control and exclusion, she elicits a cautionary message: that without vigilance and accountability, such trends could undermine the very foundations of liberal democratic values across the globe.