UN rapporteur calls on Israel, key allies to cover cost of rebuilding Gaza

Speaking on Friday at an event hosted by the Open Data Institute (ODI) Global Research Center in London, Albanese argued that responsibility for the reconstruction lied with those who have enabled the regime’s atrocities in the coastal sliver.

She stressed that accountability had to extend beyond Tel Aviv itself to states that had provided political, military, and material backing for the aggression that has beset Gaza since October 2023, when the regime began subjecting the Palestinian territory to a Western-backed war of genocide.

According to Albanese, the situation across the Palestinian territories could not be fully understood without examining its colonial history.

She also said recent events had to be viewed in the context of ongoing atrocities over the past two years.

By recent developments, the UN official was apparently referring to the regime’s daily deadly violations of a ceasefire deal that is expected to end the genocide.

Hundreds have been martyred during the violations in addition to the tens of thousands that the genocide had already claimed.

The UN rapporteur additionally drew parallels between the regime’s policies and practices and those employed during the British colonial period in Palestine, stating that practices such as “administrative detention” and torture resembled methods previously used by Britain against Palestinians.

Albanese, meanwhile, addressed the impact of the American sanctions that have been imposed on her over her outspoken support for Palestinian rights, saying the measures have severely disrupted both her personal and professional life.

She said the sanctions restricted her ability to travel to the United States and prevented her from opening bank accounts, adding that the effects extend beyond US jurisdiction and applied globally.

Reiterating her call for financial accountability over the campaign of bloodshed and destruction waged against Gaza, Albanese said the Israeli regime had to pay for the reconstruction of the territory and that countries supplying weapons, specifically naming the United States, Germany, and Italy, also had to assume responsibility.

She further stated that Britain’s support for the regime, including through military bases involved in the Cypriot administration, warranted investigation.

Calling for urgent action, Albanese urged the international community to activate accountability mechanisms without delay, warning that the humanitarian crisis throughout the Palestinian territories continued to deteriorate and required immediate international response.