Following an analysis of Israel’s actions and patterns of violence in its onslaught on Gaza, underpinned by dehumanising rhetoric by high-ranking Israeli officials and often reflected in soldiers’ actions on the ground, the Special Rapporteur’s report found that the threshold indicating Israel’s commission of genocide had been met.
The vehement anti-Palestinian discourse, which frames the entire Palestinian people in Gaza as enemies to be eradicated and forcibly removed has been pervasive across all segments of Israeli society, the expert said.
“Calls for violent annihilation from Israeli high-ranking officials with command authority aimed at soldiers on duty on the ground serve as compelling evidence of explicit and public encouragement to commit genocide,” Albanese said.
One of the key findings of Albanese’s report is that Israel's executive and military leadership and soldiers have intentionally distorted foundational rules of international humanitarian law - distinction, proportionality and precaution - in an attempt to legitimise genocidal violence against the Palestinian people.
“By deliberately redefining the categories of human shields, evacuation orders, safe zones, collateral damage and medical protection, Israel has used their protective functions as ‘humanitarian camouflage’ to conceal its genocidal campaign,” she said.
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