Albanese to Huckabee: ‘Withholding humanitarian aid is a war crime’
The UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory has hit back at comments by the US ambassador to Israel, in which he called on Hamas to release Israeli captives held in Gaza in exchange for lifting the blockade on Gaza.
In a post on X, Francesa Albanese addressed Mike Huckabee and wrote:
“It is my duty to bring to Your Excellency’s attention Article 8(2)(b)(xxv) of the Rome Statute, which states that withholding humanitarian aid is a war crime.
“This action would further aggravate conditions of life calculated to destroy the Palestinian population of Gaza. No one benefits from this—not the Palestinians, not the Israelis, not the North Americans—none of us.
“Together, we can stop this monstrosity.”
Ambassador Huckabee:
It is my duty to bring to Your Excellency's attention Article 8(2)(b)(xxv) of the Rome Statute, which states that withholding humanitarian aid is a war crime. This action would further aggravate conditions of life calculated to destroy the Palestinian… https://t.co/R0ilEQ6iSX pic.twitter.com/cPQzrLB1Ow
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) April 21, 2025
Ex-Israeli envoy says Israel should not attend Pope Francis’s funeral
Israel’s former ambassador to Italy, Dror Eydar, has accused the late Pope Francis of anti-Semitism and called on the Israeli government not to attend the pontiff’s funeral.
Eydar, who held the envoy post from 2019-2022, made the comments in an interview with the Israeli news outlet Maariv.
The pope was “rivalled in the degree of his anti-Semitism only by Pius XII”, Eydar said, referring to the man who served as the head of the Catholic Church between 1939 and 1958, who he said “was silent” during the Holocaust.
The former diplomat said Francis “accused us of genocide” and talked about the “children in Gaza and not our children”.
Eydar added that the pope “is largely responsible for the rise in waves of anti-Semitism in the world”.
Israel’s former ambassador to the Vatican echoed some of that criticism.
Raphael Schutz, who served in the role from 2021-2024, told the Kan broadcaster that Francis “ignored” attacks against Israel and “caused suffering” with his defence of Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel should not be allowed to attend.
Israel’s Lapid calls for probe into spy chief’s allegations against Netanyahu
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has called for an investigation against Netanyahu after the head of the Israeli security agency told the Supreme Court that the Israeli prime minister’s bid to sack him followed his refusal to fulfil requests that included spying on Israeli protesters and disrupting the leader’s corruption trial.
Speaking with Israel’s’ Channel 13, Lapid also reiterated a warning of political violence if Netanyahu continues inciting hate against the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar. The politician, who leads the centrist Yesh Atid party, warned that “there is intelligence material on the possibility of a political assassination, Netanyahu knows this and he can stop it”.
He also criticised Netanyahu’s handling of Israel’s war on Gaza.
“Netanyahu and [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich and everyone are selling us a false equation as if it’s either winning the war or returning the kidnapped,” he said. “That’s not true. The government will not win the war. They don’t know how to win the war. They don’t know how to recruit enough soldiers and they don’t know how to say what will happen the day after.”
