Analysing Israel's violations of international law in their present and historical context, Ms. Albanese will look at the responsibilities of third-States vis-à-vis Israel's attacks on Gaza, with a focus on the EU Member States.

She will highlight the findings of her report released on 1 October 2024 and discuss accountability mechanisms at both domestic and international levels.

Meticulously grounded in international law and empirical evidence, Ms. Albanese’s reports to the UN Human Rights Council, as part of her official mandate, have outlined her legal analysis on why the attacks on the Palestinian population amount to genocide.

They have also drawn attention to the legal responsibilities of Third States and international organizations. These responsibilities include halting the onslaught on Gaza and ensuring the accountability of perpetrators of international crimes.

There will be ample time for questions from the audience.

About Francesca Albanese

Francesca Albanese is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) since 1967, an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, as well as a Senior Advisor on Migration and Forced Displacement for the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD).

Ms. Albanese graduated with honors from the University of Pisa with a law degree, and completed her Master of Laws in human rights from SOAS University of London. She worked for a decade as a human rights expert in various locales for the United Nations, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees.

About Dimitris Bouris

Dimitris Bouris is an Associate Professor and Jean Monnet Chair at the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam.

His research interests include EU External Relations, European Security, conflict resolution, contested states and Middle East Politics.

Bouris is the author of The European Union and Occupied Palestinian Territories: State-building without a State (Routledge, 2014), the co-editor (with Tobias Schumacher) of the Revised European Neighbourhood Policy: Continuity and Change in EU Foreign Policy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and the co-editor (with Daniela Huber and Michelle Pace) of the Routledge Handbook of EU-Middle East Relations (Routledge, 2022).

This event is organized with the support of UvA staff for Palestine, the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), the Amstercam Centre for Conflict Studies (ACCS) and the Amsterdam Centre for Middle East Studies (ACMES).