Albanese calls for urgent deployment of international protection force in West Bank, Gaza

NEW YORK, Aug. 24 (YPA) –  The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, has called for the urgent deployment of an international protection force in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In a post on the X platform last night, Albanese stressed that other states have a responsibility to work toward ending Israel’s unlawful occupation, based on the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice.

She said violations against Palestinians continue in Gaza and the West Bank, pointing to the ongoing targeting of water sources and restrictions on people’s movement and access to essential services.

Albanese added that Israeli soldiers and settlers continue to cut water pipelines in several areas of the West Bank, while the siege of the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, continues. She said these measures are part of an ongoing pattern of violations that directly affect the lives of Palestinians.

In the Gaza Strip, the UN rapporteur described the situation as still witnessing “total destruction,” along with continued casualties despite the ceasefire having entered into effect.

Albanese renewed her call for addressing the political and legal root causes of the crisis, foremost among them ending Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. She stressed that providing international protection to civilians in the West Bank, East  Quds (Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip has become an urgent necessity.

@E.Y.M