Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian territories will be visiting several Canadian cities this week. The Israel lobby is trying to stop Canadians from hearing what she has to say. Why? Read more…

Francesca Albanese, an outstanding Italian lawyer, specialist in international law, knows more about what Israel is doing to Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory than anybody. Her job as UN rapporteur is to investigate and report on the human rights situation of Palestinians in Gaza, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Her detailed and well documented reports have been very critical of Israel. She agrees with the International Court of Justice which found last January that Israel was committing “plausible genocide“.

Albanese provides more documentation in her most recent report to the UN to support the claim that the accusation of genocide in Gaza is not just “plausible” but all too real and part of a long-term Israeli plan to displace the Palestinians. She also warns that Israeli actions now extend beyond Gaza and there is a risk of the genocide extending to the West Bank and Jerusalem.

“The violence that Israel has unleashed against the Palestinians is part of a long-term intentional, systematic, State-organized forced displacement and replacement of the Palestinians. This trajectory risks causing irreparable prejudice to the very existence of the Palestinian people in Palestine.” –

Francesca Albanese, Oct. 1 2024

Albanese is now urging UN member states to “use all their political leverage – commencing with a full arms embargo and sanctions – so that Israel stops the assault against the Palestinians, accepts a ceasefire and fully withdraws from the occupied Palestinian territory in line with the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024”

That is the message she is carrying to Canada and to Canadian officials this week.

Lobby desperate to stop her

Albanese’s message, that Canada needs to act, has provoked a huge campaign against her by Canada’s Israel lobby.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs has condemned Albanese and called on the Canadian government to ban her from entering Canada, strip her of diplomatic immunity and called for Canadian politicians to refuse to have any meetings with her. Bnai Brith has claimed it is “astounded and appalled” that she is allowed to speak on the UofT campus.

The CIJA campaign has been supported by long articles in the National Post accusing her of antisemitism and associating with terrorists.

Neither CIJA, nor Bnai Brith, nor the National Post articles have attempted to refute any of Albanese’s findings. Instead, they deliberatedly confuse her strong criticisms of Israel with antisemitism and even support for terrorism.

NOTE: Anyone not able to hear Albanese in person while she is in Canada can watch her press conference recorded a few days ago in New York at the United Nations HERE.

We shouldn’t look away again

Canadians are painfully aware of how Canada shamefully looked the other way during previous horrific incidents of genocide, including the Holocaust and Rwandan genocide. Ms. Albanese’ message deserves to be heard.

OFIP encourages all Canadians, and especially Canadian politicians and officials, to meet Ms. Albanese and hear her message. OFIP is confident she would be happy to engage in a serious conversation about the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the risks of genocide in the West Bank, or about any of the accusations against her.

Canada Talks Israel Palestine (CTIP) is the weekly newsletter of Peter Larson, Chair of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion in Canada about Canada’s response to the complicated and emotional Israel/Palestine issue with a focus on the truth, clear analysis and human rights for all. Readers with different points of view are invited to make comment.
Want to learn more about us? Go to Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine.ca