Francesca Albanese: the Palestine question is a global one

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, believes that the Palestine question is a global issue. As a specialist in international law, human rights, refugees, and forced displacement, Albanese has been a vocal advocate for applying international law in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Her stance has drawn the ire of Israel, leading to her exclusion from territories under its control and recent US sanctions, an unprecedented measure against a UN Special Rapporteur.

Albanese's latest book, "When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words, and Wounds of Palestine," published in 2026, delves into her experiences within the UN and the consequences of her advocacy. She describes the UN as undergoing "collapse and severe deterioration," highlighting the need for the existing tools to address crises but lamenting their underutilization.

Albanese views Palestine as a "prototype" of repression and oppression, warning that some of its mechanisms could spread to Western democracies. She coins the terms "economy of genocide" and "necrocapitalism," arguing that militarization, resource exploitation, finance, and Big Tech are becoming part of a system where human life is increasingly viewed as expendable.

In her analysis, Albania places hope in the organization of social forces not benefiting from this system and a "cultural revolution" that reconnects international law, human rights, and the public good with political action. The US sanctions imposed on her, she believes, target anything resisting a particular international order, with the Trump administration's policies exemplifying this extreme manifestation.