Albanese urges Ireland to 'show spine' on Palestine

UN Official Urges Ireland to Use EU Presidency to Confront Israel

A senior United Nations official has urged Ireland to use its presidency of the Council of the European Union to "show its spine" and stand up to what she describes as Israel's "colonisation" and alleged war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories, The Irish Times reported. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, delivered the address to the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs on Tuesday, November 3.

The session, marked by a sense of urgency, saw Albanese paint a dire picture of the situation. She accused the EU of being “complicit with what Israel is doing with the colonisation of what remains of Palestine,” and called on the Irish Government to use its position to convince fellow member states to “decisively change course if they are to preserve the international legal order.”

A Plea for Principled Leadership

For Albanese, the timing of Ireland’s presidency is not merely a matter of political maneuvering but a profound test of European values. She framed it as an “historic opportunity for Ireland to demonstrate that its commitment to international law is precisely what the moment demands: principled leadership, rooted in European values, capable of defending the environment and all living beings against the scourges of war, exploitation, oppression and repression.” Her appeal hinges on the idea that decisive action from a respected member like Ireland could encourage other states to “show their spine,” creating a bloc-wide shift in policy.

She further argued that the current situation represents a critical failure of the international system. “Over the past three years, the United States and Israel have been allowed to cannibalise international law, seeking to replace the rule of law with their rule of lawlessness,” Albanese stated, warning that this trend is “forging a world where might prevails over right.”

Francesca Albanese urges Ireland to show spine on Palestine — Photo: joe.ie

Allegations of Systemic Abuse

The heart of Albanese’s testimony lay in the grave allegations she leveled against the Israeli government and its practices. She described a systematic pattern of abuse that goes beyond simple conflict, claiming “Israel has always killed children, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, the use of torture, even rape.” She provided a specific and chilling accusation, stating that “Palestinians in Israeli jails were being raped by specially trained dogs, acquired from European countries.” She elaborated that “European people are profiting from selling dogs that will rape people,” a practice she called “abysmal.”

She contextualized these claims, noting that “the first time rape was committed against Palestinians was 1948, reported, and then 1967,” but insisted that “this is an escalation on a huge scale.” Albanese posited that the Israeli objective was not outright extermination but something more insidious: “It’s deeper. It’s destroying the people, the living.”

The Humanitarian Catastrophe in Gaza

Albanese provided stark, quantified evidence of the human cost in Gaza, presenting figures that paint a picture of a prolonged and devastating crisis. She stated that “in over three years, Israel has killed more than 74,500 Palestinians, including at least 21,700 children – an average of 20 children every day for 1,095 days.” The phrase “Palestinian children were being slaughtered” punctuated her testimony, a direct accusation of the scale of civilian suffering.

She detailed the living conditions on the ground, describing a population “confined into one third of its now devastated land, as Israel expands its control unabated.” The physical reality for survivors is equally grim. “Gaza lies in ruins,” she said. “Families live among rubble and human remains, insects, rodents and disease, while Israeli attacks and restrictions on humanitarian access continue. And winter is coming.”

Albanese also addressed the political and economic dimensions of the crisis, noting that “funding shortages were further undermining a humanitarian response.” She criticized proposals for externally imposed governance, such as those involving “US president Donald Trump’s Board of Peace,” arguing they “strike at the very heart of Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination.”

A Personal Warning

Throughout her address, Albanese emphasized the personal risks she was taking to deliver her testimony. “I cannot but be honest, I am risking my life and that of my family. At least let me tell the truth,” she stated. She provided a specific, chilling example to substantiate her claim of danger: “People had entered my home ‘while my kids were sleeping one month ago. This personal narrative showed the seriousness of her allegations and her belief that speaking out carries real peril.’”

As the world watches, the pressure is now on the Irish government to decide whether it will heed the UN official’s call and use its presidency to forge a new path for European engagement in the conflict, or to maintain its current, more cautious diplomatic posture.

The EU, Albanese said, is “complicit with what Israel is doing with the colonisation of what remains of Palestine.” On the other hand, Ireland should convince fellow member states to “decisively change course if they are to preserve the international legal order”, she added.

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