UN official says Israeli soldiers are “willful executioners”

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Francesca Albanese, the controversial United Nations special rapporteur covering the Palestinian territories, argued on Tuesday in remarks made on Parliament Hill that Israeli soldiers had been turned into “wilful executioners of an extermination plan.”

Albanese, an Italian lawyer condemned by critics as antisemitic, is on a speaking tour of North America. She argued at an Ottawa news conference that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, saying that the military campaign against Hamas is connected with a violent history that predates the establishment of the Jewish state.

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“I have condemned the crimes against Israeli civilians, the killing, brutalization and the taking of hostages,” Albanese said of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. “And with the same rigour and with the same firm spirit, I have condemned the crimes that Israel has committed against the Palestinian people before, on and after October 7, including what now looks like a genocide.”

She argued that “Israel has capitalized on the rage, fury and the extreme pain of the Israelis turning them into, many soldiers, into willful executioners of an extermination plan.”

Melissa Lantsman, the Conservative Party of Canada’s deputy leader, called Albanese a “virulent antisemite” in a statement to National Post.

“This exposes the institutional rot of the UN and raises questions on if anyone in the Government of Canada and those close to it are meeting with her. Every self-respecting democracy should be calling for her to be fired,” Lantsman said.

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Albanese said she was supposed to meet with parliamentary committees and ministers, but that didn’t happen. She blamed the pressure of “very vocal, very virulent, very aggressive” pro-Israel lobby groups, although she said she didn’t know for sure.

“What are they fearing?” Albanese said. “It’s a choice not to meet with a UN independent expert.” She did say, however, that she had met with parliamentarians. Among them was Charlie Angus, a federal New Democrat from Ontario, who posted a photo of himself and Albanese on X and Vancouver New Democrat Don Davies.

Albanese described herself in the press conference as a “reluctant chronicler of genocide” and argued that Canada must suspend its free-trade deal with Israel and accept refugees from Gaza.

“My statements are not against the Jewish people or even the Israelis. My assessment is on the performance of the Israeli government. It could be led by Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, atheists: it wouldn’t change,” the UN official told reporters. “The problem is not the State of Israel — or its existence — the problem is that Israel practices apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

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Israel, which says it takes strong measures to avoid killing civilians as it fights terror groups seeking the destruction of the Jewish state on multiple fronts, has strongly rejected the charge of genocide. 

Albanese was asked by a reporter whether she supported Israel’s right to exist.

“There is no such thing in international law like a right of a state to exist. Does Italy have a right to exist? Italy exists! If tomorrow, Italy and France want to merge and become Ita-France, fine. This is not up to us,” Albanese said. “What is enshrined in international law is the right of a people to exist.”

The special rapporteur’s tour through the United States and Canada has been marred by calls that authorities ban the UN official from speaking. Last week, Albanese spoke at Columbia University in New York, telling the audience she embraced “violent resistance” before correcting herself and saying “armed resistance.”

The following day, Albanese met with members of a fringe ultraorthodox Jewish group, the Neturei Karta — a group that participated in a Holocaust denial conference in Iran — and applauded them for their advocacy standing “in solidarity with their Palestinian brothers and sisters.”

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During the Canadian stretch of her travels, Albanese was initially scheduled to be at a conference featuring Charlotte Kates, a founder of Samidoun, the anti-Israel group that the federal government recently added to its list of terror entities, before withdrawing from the event.

On Monday, Albanese’s lecture at McGill University about international law and genocide was relocated to the student union after the law school withdrew its support.

Hillel Neuer, the leader of the Geneva-based UN Watch, a group which investigates the United Nations and its constellation of agencies, said Albanese was “one of the most dangerous antisemites in the world” and “a supporter of Hamas terrorism.”

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With the special rapporteur still scheduled to speak at the University of Toronto on Thursday, Neil Oberman — a Conservative party candidate challenging Liberal MP Anthony Housefather’s seat in the upcoming federal election — called on Canadian leaders to condemn Albanese.

“It is unfortunate that certain universities have opted for ignorance rather than fostering discovery and safety,” Oberman told the Post in a statement. “We call upon those in positions of authority to denounce hate and aggression, ensuring the safety and protection of all Canadians. Canada holds a significant position on the global stage; however, its failure to safeguard its citizens from external influences of hatred raises concerns regarding its capacity for effective governance.”

Editors’ note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Alabanese’s speech at McGill University was cancelled. It was actually relocated to the student union building at the last minute after the law school withdrew its support. National Post regrets the error.

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