For the Sake of Palestine

Francesca Albanese reminds us that it's easy to be a decent human being

- Priyanka Borpujari

WHEN Francesca P. Albanese talks, she is rattling out data and numbers as if they have been tattooed in her brilliant brain. This United Nations Rapporteur for the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestine Territories Occupied since 1967 brings her heart and head together, and her tall stature hovers over the cowardice of those who refuse to acknowledge the violence in Palestine. It is easy to imagine how she will age: as the Italian Nonna, who sang Bella Ciao, and uttering repeatedly and tirelessly the G word—Genocide.

When Albanese entered the massive hall of 150 people at Ireland’s Maynooth University on a sunny evening, she was welcomed with a standing ovation. The science of sound creating vibrations is true: I could feel the goosebumps from the loud applause of a hall full of people wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. Going by the way her eyes became wide and misty, I believe she too may have felt the hair on her spine wake up to the sound of those appreciating her fierce work.

In the last 17 months, videos of Albanese speaking at different forums have been widely circulated across social media. Her words are not mere ideological polemic, but stem from meticulous legal documentation of the ravages of war in Palestine. She has published five reports since 2022, most notable of them titled 'Anatomy of a Genocide' and 'Genocide as Colonial Erasure' that were submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council and United Nations General Assembly.