U.N. rapporteur calls for global action to stop ‘genocide' in Gaza
Francesca Albanese spoke to delegates from 30 countries meeting in Colombia's capital to discuss the Israel-Hamas war and ways that nations can try to stop Israel's military offensive in the territory. Many of the participating nations have described the violence as genocide against the Palestinians.
'Each state must immediately review and suspend all ties with the State of Israel ... and ensure its private sector does the same,' Albanese said. 'The Israeli economy is structured to sustain the occupation that has now turned genocidal.'
The two-day conference organized by the governments of Colombia and South Africa is being attended mostly by developing nations, although the governments of Spain, Ireland and China have also sent delegates.
Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has adamantly rejected genocide allegations against it as an antisemitic 'blood libel.'
Analysts say it's not clear whether the conference's participating countries have enough leverage over Israel to force it to change its policies in Gaza, where more than 58,000 people have been killed in Israeli military operations following a deadly Hamas attack on Israel in 2023. The death toll comes from the health ministry, which is under Gaza's Hamas government and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.
'The United States has so far failed to influence Israel's behavior … so it is naive to think that this group of countries can have any influence over [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's behavior or on the government of Israel,' said Sandra Borda, a professor of international relations at Bogota's Los Andes University. She said, however, that the conference will enable some nations of the Global South to clarify their position toward the conflict and have their voices heard.
The conference is co-chaired by the governments of South Africa and Colombia, which last year suspended coal exports to Israeli power plants, and includes the participation of members of The Hague Group, a coalition of eight nations that earlier this year pledged to cut military ties with Israel and to comply with an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu.
For decades, South Africa's ruling African National Congress party has compared Israel's policies in Gaza and the West Bank with its own history of oppression under the harsh apartheid regime of white minority rule, which restricted most Blacks to 'homelands' before ending in 1994. South Africa's current argument is rooted in the sentiment that Palestinians have been oppressed in their homeland as Black South Africans were under apartheid.
The gathering comes as the European Union weighs various measures against Israel that include a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, an arms embargo and individual sanctions against Israeli officials, who are found to be blocking a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Colombia's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Mauricio Jaramillo said Monday that the nations participating in the Bogota meeting, which also include Qatar and Turkey, will be discussing diplomatic and judicial measures that can be taken to put more pressure on Israel to cease its attacks.
The Colombian official described Israel's conduct in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as an affront to the international order.
'This is not just about Palestine,' Jaramillo said in a news conference. 'It is about defending international law… and the right to self determination.'
Rueda writes for the Associated Press.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Reports: Hamas submits updated ceasefire response in Gaza talks
The Palestinian militant group Hamas has submitted a response to mediators regarding a proposed ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, it announced on Telegram. Israeli news site ynet, citing informed sources, reported the response was an updated version, though the contents were not immediately disclosed. According to the US news outlet Axios, US special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet in Rome with Israel's minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, and a representative from Qatar on Thursday. If sufficient progress is made, Witkoff will travel from Rome to Doha, the capital of Qatar, later this week to try to finalize the ceasefire agreement, according to Axios, citing US and Israeli sources. The United States, together with Qatar and Egypt, is mediating between Israel and Hamas, who have no direct talks. The proposal on the table envisions a 60-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release 10 of the remaining hostages. Following the ceasefire, discussions are planned to work towards a permanent resolution to the conflict. Media reports indicate ongoing disagreements over key issues, including the extent of the Israeli troop withdrawal, particularly from southern Gaza. Israel insists its forces maintain a buffer zone along the Egyptian border.
3 hours ago
A look at UNESCO and its work as the US decides again to leave the cultural agency
PARIS -- With the support of international partners and $115 million in funding, the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO recently helped rebuild the Iraqi city of Mosul after it was devastated by the Islamic State group. The restoration of the historic city's iconic Al-Nouri Mosque and Al-Hadba Minaret was just one of many programs run by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which is in the spotlight because the United States is leaving it once again. The decision to pull U.S. funding and participation from UNESCO will deal a blow to its work preserving cultural heritage around the world. U.S. President Donald Trump exited the agency during his first term, accusing it of promoting anti-Israel speech. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden had rejoined UNESCO in 2023 after citing concerns that China was filling the gap left by the U.S. in UNESCO policymaking. Here's a look at the work UNESCO does: UNESCO names World Heritage sites, including landmarks like the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian pyramids, the Taj Mahal and the Statue of Liberty, and gives them special protection under its World Heritage Sites program. Its World Heritage Committee each year designates sites considered 'of outstanding value to humanity' and intervenes when sites are in danger of destruction or damage. The program provides countries with technical assistance and professional training to preserve the sites. A World Heritage site designation is coveted and seen as a boost to tourism. Another UNESCO convention created in 2003 protects 'intangible' heritage such as folk songs and traditional dances, crafts and cooking in its lists. Like the rest of the U.N., UNESCO was created in response to the horrors of World War II, and particularly Nazi crimes. Amid concerns that the agency's Arab members have used UNESCO to pass anti-Israel resolutions, UNESCO has worked in recent years on Holocaust awareness projects. That includes educational materials and organizing visits to former Nazi concentration camps. UNESCO works to improve literacy, with a special focus on girls in countries hit by war or disasters who get little or no schooling though programs such as the Malala Fund for Girls' Right to Education. In Tanzania, for instance, over 2,500 girls benefited from the creation of safe spaces in 40 secondary schools. The agency provides teacher training and materials and encourages programs for girls to pursue careers in science. One of the agency's goals is coordinating climate knowledge and improving international education about how global warming occurs and affects people around the world. Over 30 UNESCO programs are designed to help its members adapt to climate change and favor sustainable development. UNESCO adopted in 2021 what it calls 'the first and only global standard-setting instrument on the ethics of artificial intelligence.' Applying to all 194 member states, the recommendation emphasizes the protection of human rights and dignity, grounded in principles like transparency, fairness, and human oversight of AI systems. UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay said the U.S. decision to leave was expected and that the agency has prepared for it. While the U.S. had previously provided a notable share of the agency's budget, UNESCO has diversified its funding sources. 'Thanks to the efforts made by the organization since 2018, the decreasing trend in the financial contribution of the US has been offset, so that it now represents 8% of the organization's total budget compared with 40% for some United Nations entities,' Azoulay said. She added that the agency's overall budget has increased and that it has the steady support of "a large number of member states and private contributors.'
The Hill
5 hours ago
- The Hill
Shapiro advises Mamdani to rein in ‘blatantly antisemitic' supporters
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) advised New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to rein in 'blatantly antisemitic' supporters, according to a new Jewish Insider interview. 'I'll say this about Mamdani or any other leader,' Shapiro said, according to Jewish Insider. 'If you want to lead New York, you want to lead Pennsylvania, you want to lead the United States of America, you're a leader.' 'I don't care if you're a Republican or Democratic leader or a democratic socialist leader,' he added. 'You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can't leave room for that to just sit there. You've got to condemn that.' Mamdani, a democratic socialist, recently shocked American political observers with his win over political heavyweight and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor. He has also faced criticism over remarks he made in which he avoided condemning the phrase 'globalize the intifada' and likened it to the Warsaw ghetto uprising amid the Holocaust. Pro-Palestinian activists have maintained that the phrase only refers to liberation for Palestinians to have the right to their own state and doesn't endorse calls for violence. However, pro-Israel activists and many Jewish people see the phrase as calling for a worldwide uprising to enact violence against Zionists, who back Israel's existence, and Jewish people more broadly. Mamdani has said he would not use the phrase and would dissuade others from using it amid scrutiny over his unwillingness to fully condemn the expression, multiple outlets reported recently.
