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U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese called Sunday for the urgent deployment of an “international protection presence” in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, saying civilians needed immediate protection.
“Third states have an obligation, per the ICJ, to act to end Israel’s unlawful occupation,” Albanese wrote on U.S. social media platform X, referring to the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion.
The court said Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory was unlawful and that states must not assist in maintaining it.
Albanese said violations against Palestinians were continuing in Gaza and the West Bank, including attacks on water sources and restrictions on movement and access to basic services.
She said Israeli soldiers and settlers continued cutting water pipes in several West Bank areas amid the ongoing siege of Qusra, south of Nablus, describing the incidents as part of a broader pattern directly affecting Palestinians’ lives.
In Gaza, Albanese said “widespread destruction” continued and casualties were still being reported despite the ceasefire.
She said international protection for civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza had become “absolutely urgent,” while calling for the underlying political and legal causes of the crisis, including the occupation, to be addressed.
Albanese also questioned whether diplomatic efforts by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the General Assembly’s “Uniting for Peace” mechanism could overcome the Security Council’s deadlock.
The mechanism allows the General Assembly to consider international peace and security issues when the Security Council is unable to act because permanent members lack unanimity.
The Security Council has repeatedly been unable to act on Gaza and the West Bank amid U.S. vetoes.
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