UN expert urges peacekeepers in Palestinian territories as settler attacks surge

Francesca Albanese said an international protection force in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza is ‘absolutely urgent’ UN special rapporteur for Palestine Francesca Albanese has called for the deployment of an international protection force in the Palestinian territories in response to a rise in attacks by Israeli settlers.“An International Protection Presence in West Bank/east Jerusalem and Gaza is absolutely URGENT,” Albanese wrote in a post on X on Monday.“Third states have an obligation, per the ICJ, to act to end Israel’s unlawful occupation,” she said, using the acronym for the Hague-based International Court of Justice. She called on the offices of the UN secretary-general and the General Assembly to help bypass what she described as the “paralysis” of the organization’s Security Council, where the US has vetoed multiple resolutions critical of Israel.Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law by the UN and most of the international community. Israel disputes this position. The settlements are also widely viewed as an obstacle to establishing a viable Palestinian state. In 2024, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion saying Israel sho...