IN AN INTERVIEW with the Guardian paper yesterday, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, warned that the moves by countries to recognise a Palestinian state should not be used as a ‘distraction’ from taking action to end genocide.
An increasing number of countries are responding to the outrage of tens of millions of workers and masses across the world to the genocide and mass starvation being carried out by an Israeli regime determined to ethnically cleanse Gaza, by announcing plans to recognise an independent Palestinian state.
Albanese told the Guardian: ‘Of course it’s important to recognise the state of Palestine. It’s incoherent that they have not done it already.’
But she insisted that all the lengthy debates about Palestinian statehood have not led to any progress in ending genocide or the drive to push illegal Israeli settlements throughout the occupied territories.
Instead, all the prevarication and endless debates in governments acted as a distraction from any real action, while illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territory are spreading. Albanese said: ‘The territory has been literally eaten out by the advancement of the annexation and colonisation.’
While the Labour government in the UK talks about the possibility of recognising a Palestinian state, the dramatic spread of these illegal settlements have all but precluded the possibility of a Palestinian state Albanese warns.
She called for an embargo on all arms to Israel and an end to trade agreements with the Israeli state along with accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed daily in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Albanese has been the most vocal voice internationally in exposing Israeli genocide and also the complicity of capitalist governments, industries and financial institutions in arming and providing the support that enables the Israeli regimes war crimes.
In June, she produced a report that concentrated on the global corporations that are ‘profiting from war’ detailing what she termed the ‘economy of genocide’.
In this report, she named 60 international companies she said were involved in ‘transformation of Israel’s economy of occupation to an economy of genocide.’
For this report, Trump’s US administration sanctioned Albanese accusing her of waging a ‘campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel.’
Albanese told the Guardian that the genocide in Gaza had promoted a ‘profound shift’ in global views on Israel, but it had also seen ‘brutal repression’ by the capitalist state.
‘We see millions of people taking to the streets and asking for an end to the genocide, and they’re being beaten arrested and held on counts of terrorism, while those who are wanted by the ICC for war crimes are being received and allowed to fly over European and western space. This is absurd. This is the end of the rule of law.’
Albanese is absolutely correct as can be seen in the actions of Labour prime minister Keir Starmer who is using the promise of the UK recognising the state of Palestine in exactly the way she described, to divert the overwhelming mass of workers and youth who are demanding real action to not just recognise the independent State of Palestine but break completely with the genocidal Israeli regime.
At the same time, Starmer and his home secretary Yvette Cooper were this week attempting to justify police arresting 532 peaceful protester, half of them aged over 60, for holding placards opposing genocide and supporting Palestine Action.
These were ‘terrorist’ supporters according to Starmer and Cooper while the real terrorists in Israel continue to be supplied with intelligence and military equipment that enables their crimes against humanity by the UK.
The working class has the power to take action by calling general strikes to bring down their genocidal enabling governments, replacing them with workers governments.
At the annual congress of the TUC starting on September 7th, workers must demand the trade union leaders immediately call a general strike to kick out this treacherous Labour government and go forward to a workers government that will recognise the State of Palestine and provide it with all the material support required to defeat Zionist occupation and ensure the victory of the Palestinian revolution.
