Israel has killed more than 74,500 Palestinians, including at least 21,700 children, over the past three years—an average of 20 children every day for 1,095 days—while Ireland holds the European Union presidency that UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese says could pressure member states into action, The Irish Times reported.
Addressing the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs on Tuesday, 3 November, Albanese urged Ireland to use its position to convince fellow EU members to “decisively change course if they are to preserve the international legal order,” joe.ie reported.
She called on the Irish Government to “show its spine” in a move that would encourage other states to do the same, accusing the EU of being “complicit with what Israel is doing with the colonisation of what remains of Palestine,” The Irish Times reported.
Albanese Alleges Dogs Used to Rape Palestinian Detainees
Albanese told the committee that specially trained dogs acquired from European countries were raping Palestinian prisoners. “European people are profiting from selling dogs that will rape people,” she said. “This is abysmal, and instead of having a system using our rule of law to prevent this, there are people who are in jail for denouncing the system.”
She described the abuse as an escalation with “destructive intent” aimed at “destroying the people, the living” rather than extermination, and said rape against Palestinians had first been reported in 1948 and again in 1967, The Irish Times reported.
Ireland’s EU Presidency Offers Leverage, Rapporteur Says
Ireland currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, giving Dublin influence over the bloc’s agenda, joe.ie reported. Albanese said this made the moment an “historic opportunity for Ireland to demonstrate that its commitment to international law is precisely what the moment demands: principled leadership, rooted in European values.”
She warned that proposals for externally imposed governance in Gaza, including those involving US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, “strike at the very heart of Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination,” The Irish Times reported.
Rapporteur Cites Personal Risk in Testifying
Albanese said she was risking her life and that of her family to speak before the committee, noting that people had entered her home while her children were sleeping a month earlier. “I cannot but be honest, I am risking my life and that of my family. At least let me tell the truth,” she said, according to joe.ie.
She described Gaza as lying in ruins, with the population confined to one third of the territory while attacks and restrictions on humanitarian access continued, and warned that “winter is coming,” The Irish Times reported.
Questions About the Rapporteur’s Claims
What exactly did Albanese say about sexual violence in detention?
She stated that rape was first committed against Palestinians in 1948 and reported again in 1967, but that the current abuse represented “an escalation on a huge scale” with destructive intent behind it, according to The Irish Times.
What is the Board of Peace mentioned in Gaza governance plans?
Albanese referred to proposals involving US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace as part of externally imposed governance arrangements that she said threatened Palestinian self-determination, joe.ie reported.
What conditions did she describe in Gaza right now?
She said families were living among rubble, human remains, insects, rodents and disease while Israeli attacks continued, with the population confined to one third of the devastated land as winter approached, The Irish Times reported.
Whether Ireland will use its EU presidency to pressure member states to confront Israel remains the open question Albanese posed to the Oireachtas committee.
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