The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories since 1967 addressed the Canadian government yesterday, reminding it of its obligations under international law.

In a visit to Montreal, Francesca Albanese presented her latest report entitled "Colonial Erasure through Genocide," arguing that the Palestinian people are victims of the "first live-streamed colonial genocide."

"The violence perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians since after October 7 did not emerge from nowhere, but is part of a deliberately coordinated state campaign to systematically cause forced displacement and replace Palestinians in the long term," Albanese wrote in her report, "and this trajectory could cause irreparable harm to the existence of the Palestinian people in Palestine."

Albanese was speaking at an event organized by the "League for Rights and Freedoms" (LDL) and the "Quebec Emergency Coalition for Palestine."

She took the opportunity to urge countries around the world, including Canada, to respect "their obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide." This is the first human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, and it was in 1948.

Albanese said addressing the Canadian government: "I call on Canada to respect its obligations under international law."

Albanese urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's liberal government to conduct an audit to identify all forms of cooperation with Israel, whether at the military, economic, political, or other levels.

Albanese added that she was "shocked" to learn that the government of Quebec had opened a representative office in Tel Aviv last June, while Israeli military operations had claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Albanese stated that "the silence, or worse, the justification by a small but influential number of countries continued to allow and fuel the arrogance that is fundamental to Israel's behavior at the time we speak."

"It is extremely disturbing to see member states (of the United Nations) talking grandly about international law while questioning its meanings, obscuring it, and stripping the victims of the past 12 months of their humanity," added the Italian lawyer.

Albanese's remarks in Montreal come at a time when Israeli military operations are intensifying thousands of kilometers away in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and even East Jerusalem, at the expense of the lives of Palestinian civilians.

In this war that the Israeli army is waging in response to the bloody attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, approximately 43,400 have been killed in the Gaza Strip thus far, most of whom are women and children, and around 102,300 injured, according to data from the Ministry of Health in the Hamas government in the region.

The Canadian government responds

Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa told the Canadian Press that Canada "is deeply concerned about the conflict in Gaza and its serious humanitarian consequences on the civilian population in particular."

"The rule of law is a founding principle for Canada and a cornerstone of our democracy. We have been clear: no one is above the law," added Global Affairs, "all countries are required to respect international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law."

The Canadian government added that it "continues to call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages (Israelis in Gaza) and a rapid increase in humanitarian aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip."

The Ministry of International Relations and the Francophonie of the Government of Quebec had not responded to questions from the Canadian Press at the time of preparing this report.

No consensus yet on the occurrence of "genocide" in Gaza

It is noted that the term "genocide" to describe the situation of the population of the Gaza Strip is under discussion within the international community.

Supported by several countries, South Africa submitted a request to the International Court of Justice in January to stop Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.

South Africa accused Israel of having "engaged, and still being engaged, and may continue to engage in acts of genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip."

For its part, Israel described this accusation as a "bloody and ridiculous slander" and accused Hamas of organizing a campaign of genocide against Israelis.

The International Court of Justice has yet to deliver its ruling.