The UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has sharply criticised the European Union (EU) and its member states for their stance, or lack thereof, on Israel’s war on Gaza and related policies.

In remarks made before the EU in Brussels on Tuesday, Albanese delivered a blistering critique.

Silence is complicity, trade is profit

She slammed the union for becoming a ‘cover’ for member states to ‘shirk their legal obligations’ towards the Palestinians.

She highlighted the ongoing trade deals between the EU and Israel, describing these as ‘extremely dangerous’ in light of Germany and Italy’s resistance to suspending such cooperation.

Commenting on military cooperation between EU countries and Israel, the UN official, in her words, said the EU is ‘not only complicit, but a participant in the destruction of Palestine.’

Her argument was clear. Continuing to export and import weapons, alongside joint scientific research within the Horizon programme, makes a mockery of the EU’s supposed commitment to human rights.

Albanese also slammed recurring debates over the two-state solution as futile. She urged the need to stop ‘daily deaths in Gaza and the West Bank’. Refusing to hold back, or sanitise her critique, she described the situation in the West Bank as ‘ethnic cleansing with violence unprecedented in nearly 80 years.’

She said that attacks by Israeli settlers ‘have been documented for three decades,’ adding that ‘80% of Gaza’s remaining population — some 1.9 million people — are submerged in water and have lost their homes‘.

She asked:

Was it necessary to destroy everything to satisfy Israel’s desire for revenge?

Albanese expressed shame over Europe’s position, accusing European countries of opportunistic manoeuvres — ‘talk[ing] greedily and act like vultures’ at the negotiating table — she rued.

A world inured to Palestinian suffering

On the question of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, Albanese identified inconsistencies between what has been proposed and international law.

On Monday, the UNSC adopted US draft resolution 2803 on ending the war in Gaza, supported by 13 members, with Russia and China abstaining. The resolution welcomes Trump’s 20-point plan to end the conflict, issued on 29 September 2025.

According to the Palestinian Wall and Settlements Authority, settlers carried out 7,154 attacks in the West Bank over the past two years, resulting in the deaths of 33 Palestinians and the displacement of 33 communities.

Unspeakable deaths

They have also reported that the combined violence of the Israeli army and settlers has killed 1,076 Palestinians, injured  10,760 others and led to more than 20,500 arrests since the start of the war until Tuesday, according to official data.

According to Palestinian figures, the ceasefire ended a war that had been ongoing since 8 October 2023, with a combined death toll of 69,000 deaths and over 170,000 wounded in Gaza. The majority are children and women, while the United Nations estimated the cost of reconstruction at around $70 billion.

Commenting on her inclusion on the US sanctions list, Albanese said that its impact on her was:

Nothing compared to the torment suffered by the Palestinians [though it] affects her more than one can imagine.

Washington added her name to the list in July 2025, while the UN has strongly condemned the decision.

Featured image via Reuters

By Alaa Shamali

This post was originally published on Canary.