Global businesses 'profiting from genocide in Gaza', says UN report

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories has called for sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel and for global corporations to be held accountable for "profiting from genocide" in Gaza.

- Julian Borger

A report by Francesca Albanese to the UN Human Rights Council yesterday points to the deep involvement of companies from around the world in supporting Israel during its 21-month onslaught in Gaza.

"While life in Gaza is being obliterated and the West Bank is under escalating assault, this report shows why Israel's genocide continues: because it is lucrative for many," the report says.

Special rapporteurs are independent human rights experts appointed to advise or report on specific situations. Albanese, an Italian legal scholar who has been the special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories since 2022, first referred to the Israeli offensive in Gaza as a genocide in January 2024.

The international court of justice (ICJ) is weighing the charge of genocide against Israel but Albanese has argued that the evidence of genocide is overwhelming and pointed out that the court issued preliminary measures last year recognising the possibility of genocide in Gaza, triggering universal responsibility to prevent it.

Israel has largely ignored the ICJ's calls on it to take steps to mitigate the toll on Palestinian civilians and has disputed the court's jurisdiction.

Albanese said there was no reason to wait for an ICJ judgment, which she said was only being delayed by the long queue of cases the court has to judge. "I have investigated it day by day for 630 days and, frankly, after five months I could tell you that it was genocide," she told the Guardian. "You don't need a scientist to establish what is genocide. You just need to connect the dots.

"Israel has [committed] acts that are recognised as genocidal, like acts of killing nearly 60,000 people, probably more, creation of conditions of life calculated to destroy, destruction of 80% of the homes and no water, no food."