Albanese: Israel Seeks Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine and There is No Real Ceasefire in Gaza

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, affirmed that Israel continues to kill civilians in the Gaza Strip, stressing that there is no actual ceasefire, and that Israel seeks to carry out ethnic cleansing in Palestine.

This came in an interview with Foreign Policy magazine on December 6, on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2025, and was published on Wednesday.

Albanese explained that the basic condition for ending the violence in the occupied Palestinian territories is adherence to the law, noting that the International Court of Justice has issued a ruling obligating Israel to withdraw its forces and end the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, but Israel has not complied with this ruling.

Commenting on former US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan to stop the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10 and achieve what he described as peace in the Gaza Strip, Albanese stated that real peace cannot be achieved without ending the Israeli occupation.

Albanese considered the UN Security Council's approval of Trump's plan on November 17 to be a betrayal of the development of international law over 80 years, explaining that the Security Council resolution contradicts the right to self-determination.

Albanese called for a halt to arms transfers and trade with Israel, describing it as a colonial state, noting that the law of state responsibility requires not assisting a state that commits international crimes.

Commenting on the sanctions imposed on her by the United States last July for participating with the International Criminal Court in documenting Israeli crimes against Palestinians, Albanese explained that she was punished merely for doing her job of documenting violations.

She pointed out that the American sanctions she was subjected to confirm that the global system is weak and afraid of the awakening of conscience because it means changing oppression.

Albanese is considered one of the most prominent critics of Israel and its allies in the war of extermination it launched against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, which prompted the Israeli government to declare her persona non grata in 2024, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused her of anti-Semitism.