BOGOTA, Colombia — The United Nations’ special rapporteur for Gaza and the West Bank says that it’s time for nations around the world to take concrete actions to stop what she called the “genocide” in Gaza.
Francesca Albanese speaks to delegates from 30 countries meeting in Colombia’s capital to discuss the Israel-Hamas war and ways that nations can try to stop Israel’s military offensive in the territory. Many of the participating nations have described the violence as genocide against the Palestinians.
“Each state must immediately review and suspend all ties with the State of Israel … and ensure its private sector does the same,” says Albanese, who was sanctioned by the US earlier this month. “The Israeli economy is structured to sustain the occupation that has now turned genocidal.”
The two-day conference organized by the governments of Colombia and South Africa is being attended mostly by developing nations, although the governments of Spain, Ireland and China have also sent delegates.
Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has adamantly rejected genocide allegations against it as an antisemitic “blood libel.”
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Wednesday, July 16, 2025
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