Genocide as Colonial Erasure (w/ Francesca Albanese) | The Chris Hedges Report
Genocide as Colonial Erasure (w/ Francesca Albanese) | The Chris Hedges Report
This interview is also available on podcast platforms and Rumble.
“The crime of all crimes.” That is how the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda declared genocide in the final judgment of Prosecutor v. Akayesu, the case against the mayor of Taba, Rwanda for crimes against humanity. Today, that crime repeats itself as UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese painfully details in her latest report.
Albanese joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report to break down her report and present the indisputable evidence that Israel is actively committing a genocide of the Palestinian people.
“The acts of killing, the mass killing, the infliction of psychological and physical torture, the devastation, the creation of conditions of life that would not allow the people in Gaza to live, from the destruction of hospitals, the mass force displacement and the mass homelessness while people were being bombed daily, and the starvation—how can we read these acts in isolation?” Albanese asks.
The UN Special Rapporteur clearly outlines the steps and conditions required to meet the classification of genocide, and in the case of Gaza, it’s undeniable. Albanese tells Hedges, “What is relevant in order to establish that there is genocide is not just the intent behind these crimes, enunciated in Article II of the Genocide Convention; it’s the overall intent, specific intent, to destroy the people—the group as a whole, or in part, as such. And what is the group here? It's the Palestinians.”
Throughout the rest of her report, Albanese details the harrowing death and destruction Palestinians endure on a daily basis in countless forms, alongside the horror suffered by non-Palestinians in Gaza. Albanese documents record-breaking numbers: The highest number of journalists killed, the highest number of UN officials killed, the highest number of hospitals targeted, the destruction of all universities, the fastest rate of population starvation. It’s clear, according to Albanese, the scale of devastation the Israelis are inflicting is one of scorched-earth catastrophe.
Host:
Chris Hedges
Producer:
Max Jones
Intro:
Diego Ramos
Crew:
Diego Ramos, Sofia Menemenlis and Thomas Hedges
Transcript:
Diego Ramos
The U.S. is intervening in the Israel/Palestinian War, and we're funding those committing genocide.
"We" meaning the U.S. government needs to stop the flow of funding to those perpetrating these crimes. The question is what can "we" the PEOPLE do to stop our renegade government from aiding and abetting these criminals? The government has long ago stopped caring about the people and is now hell bent on doing whatever the Neo-cons who run it want.
There's no question that Israel's state terrorism targeting Gaza amounts to genocide. Thanks for presenting the case for those who remain skeptical despite the mounting death toll.
It's equally (and sadly) true that indigenous genocide is among the defining features of not only Israeli foreign policy, but also the creation of the global superpower that today enables it. Even America's most "progressive" state waged a relentless assault on civilian populations until barely a century ago. The importance of the parallel is rivaled only by its recurring tragedy. https://shahidbuttar.substack.com/p/indigenous-lives-matter-from-north