Palestine: applying international law is necessary and possible.

JVL Introduction

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Territories, agrees that Palestine should be recognised but also that this must not distract the world from stopping the destruction of Gaza and its people. She believes more could be done and that the failure to recognise Palestine before now has contributed to the expansion of settlements breaking up the contiguity of Palestine ; indeed Bezalel Smotrich, possibly emboldened by the lack of real action against the genocide is now planning 3,000 new housing units in controversial West Bank settlement) and claims that Netanyahu and Trump have already agreed to this.  Whether this expansion does or does not happen, it is part of a pattern that has only accelerated since October 7th, of pushing Palestinians out and treating the West Bank as though it is already Israel’s.

Albanese again calls for “complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory by the 17 September deadline set by the UN general assembly.” and states that: “Ending the question of Palestine in line with international law is possible and necessary: end the genocide today, end the permanent occupation this year, and end apartheid,”

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This article was originally published by The Guardian on Wed 13 Aug 2025. Read the original here.