Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, has called for the prosecution of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other senior EU officials for complicity in war crimes committed during Israel’s war on Gaza.
In an exclusive interview with The Intercept, Albanese argued that European political and diplomatic support for Israel amounts to aiding and abetting crimes under international law.
“They (Europeans) need to understand that immunity cannot be the same as impunity,” Albanese said. “I am not one to say that history will judge them; they must be judged first.”
A complaint has reportedly been filed with the International Criminal Court against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for complicity in war crimes in Gaza, with critics accusing senior EU officials of supporting Israel’s actions despite international legal obligations to prevent genocide.
A Middle East analyst called Albanese’s assessment entirely accurate, stressing that the 1948 Genocide Convention requires signatories not only to punish genocide but also to prevent it.
The European Commission has defended its relations with Israel as a means of expressing concerns and upholding international law, while Francesca Albanese has warned that European institutions could face individual responsibility for aiding Israel’s actions in Gaza, which she says are crimes under international law.
Beyond calling for accountability from EU leaders, the UN special rapporteur said he was working on a report that would expose banks, pension funds, technology companies and universities for their complicity in the destruction of Gaza.
He said: “All those who are involved in the illegal occupation and who by supporting it are participating in violations of international law and human rights, are aiding and abetting it, and some of these actions constitute crimes.”
William Schabas, a genocide expert and law professor at Middlesex University, said that while the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pursuing charges against a senior EU official like von der Leyen would be unprecedented.
