‘The war did not start with October 7’: UN rapporteur
The UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, says the war “did not start with the terrible day” of October 7.
Albanese said that she is soon releasing a report that shows how the latest assault on Gaza has only “intensified methods of warfare” used by Israel in its many other previous attacks and brought them to new and unprecedented levels.
This 10yo declaration is a stark reminder that "the war" did not start with the terrible day of 10/7.
My last report (to be released soon) finds that the last Gaza assault has intensified methods of warfare used in other ISR's offensives, brining them to a new/unprecedented level https://t.co/lrXN51WNVU
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) March 9, 2024
More deflections and temper tantrums
Israeli ministers to join UNSC debate on sexual violence report
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Minister of Social Equality May Golan will head the Israeli delegation addressing the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday. Golan said she would “represent all Israeli women” in the emergency meeting, which was requested by France, the UK and US after a UN report said there were “reasonable grounds” that instances of sexual violence were committed during the October 7 Hamas attack.
Israel has blasted the UN for allegedly trying to “cover up” the report, which also cited established evidence of sexual violence committed by Israeli soldiers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The Times of Israel reports that Katz instructed Israel’s diplomats to launch a public relations offensive aimed at pressuring the UN to declare Hamas a “terrorist” organisation and scrutinise the findings of the UN report.
Israel slams Canada and Sweden decision to restore UNRWA funding
According to Lior Haiat, foreign ministry spokesman, the decision “is a serious mistake that constitutes tacit agreement and support by the governments of Canada and Sweden to continue to ignore the involvement of UNRWA employees in terrorist activity”. “The return to funding UNRWA will not change the fact the organisation is part of the problem and will not be part of the solution in the Gaza Strip,” added Haiat.
Israel alleges a dozen of the agency’s employees were involved in the October 7 attacks. UNRWA has fired nine of its employees preemptively as it investigates the allegations.
Israeli foreign minister blasts Turkey after Erdogan comments
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called Turkey “the biggest terrorist supporting country in the world next to Iran” after biting comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Katz said in a post on X its leader has become a “disgrace” to the republic founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Erdogan’s support for Hamas makes him “one of the greatest oppressors and anti-Semites in history”.
Erdogan earlier compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to authoritarian leaders such as Adolf Hitler, and said Turkey refuses to call Hamas a “terrorist” organisation.
