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AMY GOODMAN: That is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Warfare and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.
We’re joined now for Half 2 of our dialog with Francesca Albanese, the U.N. particular rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, her new landmark report titled “From financial system of occupation to financial system of genocide.” The Trump administration introduced Wednesday it’s imposing sanctions on her, alleging she’s focusing on Individuals and Israelis for prosecution by the Worldwide Prison Court docket. She’s becoming a member of us now from Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana, the place she simply held a information convention. Thanks a lot for staying with us. Nermeen?
NERMEEN SHAIKH: So, Francesca, should you might discuss concerning the corporations that you just title — there are dozens of them; after all, you’ll be able to’t listing all of them — who you say within the report are cashing in on Israel’s struggle on Gaza or the enlargement of unlawful settlements within the West Financial institution? How did you compile this listing? What sort of analysis was concerned? And likewise clarify — individuals are elevating questions. , all people understands why, you already know, protection arms producer Lockheed Martin is on the listing, however it may be much less clear why, for instance, the Korean automotive maker Hyundai or the French financial institution BNP Paribas — why are they on the listing? Simply clarify the vary of corporations you’re taking a look at and the extent to which they’ve, and in what methods, enabled what Israel is doing in Gaza.
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Completely, Nermeen. Initially, I’ve to say that this example, the place financial actors, from armed producers to even universities, banks, pension funds, are a part of a settler-colonial endeavor of taking land and sources from individuals to the advantage of others, will not be new. That is 500 years of colonialism and settler colonialism, which has additionally had genocide. So, what’s surprising is that it’s taking place, it has been taking place, beneath our nostril, beneath our eyes, for thus many, so a few years, because the human rights system was growing.
And corporations have all the time escaped accountability. The one two defining moments in historical past when there was some accountability was after the Holocaust, with the post-Holocaust industrialist trials, the place companies from varied sectors have been dropped at justice, and after apartheid South Africa, the place the start of the regulation of enterprise sectors actually superior and produced the U.N. Guiding Ideas — after a couple of years — on Enterprise and Human Rights.
Having stated that, so, Israel has used and has relied on the non-public sector to displace and change the Palestinians. How? As a result of it wouldn’t have been ready with out weapons and with out equipment to degree the bottom, to demolish properties, to uproot timber, to get management of the Palestinians, together with by segregating them behind partitions, fences, surveilling them via CCTV cameras, the automated apartheid that Amnesty Worldwide has already denounced years in the past, the gathering of biometric and different information, and many others., and many others. That is the displacement, after which comes the substitute, corporations offering instruments and cashing in on the offering instruments to Israel to construct the colonies, water infrastructure, electrical energy grids, rails, roads, after which producing items and companies, promoting them the dates, the Ahava merchandise or the wine from the settlements, whereas extracting sources from the quarries, the water, the electrical energy, and enclosing the Palestinians and conditioning them upon dependency, dependency at such a excessive price, for his or her life and for his or her growth on the — dependency on the Israeli financial system. And on high of it, there may be the displacement, the substitute, which wouldn’t have the opportunity and not using a net of actors who’re the enablers — the banks, the pension funds, and many others., and many others. — and in addition these normalizing the occupation, like, with a click on, just like the tourism trade, Reserving and Air — Reserving.com and Airbnb.
Now, this structural — I might have written this report a long time in the past. Nonetheless, what has occurred is, within the final — within the final one yr and a half, the weapons that Israel was utilizing to segregate, to manage, to displace, to repress the Palestinians have been enhanced, have been modified. Firms have continued to offer these weapons, that Israel has even custom-made them to make them, A, extra deadly and, B, more cost effective when it comes to sources and human life for these utilizing them. Consider the unmanned expertise, the place you could have unmanned planes and drones killing civilians, for instance. Consider the — you say about Hyundai and Volvo and Caterpillar. The equipment that has been used to destroy, to demolish properties within the West Financial institution has been turned to assist the Israeli military pulverize Gaza. It’s not that Gaza has been leveled simply via bombs. There have been bulldozers remodeling the rubbles into mud that may — may very well be cemented, and let’s transfer on the following stage of settler colonialism.
And consider Volvo. Volvo is the corporate which has saved offering buses connecting the settlements. And take a look at the logic of the businesses, as a result of they are saying, “However we’re simply promoting. We don’t know concerning the use that Israel makes,” just like the Norwegian speaker earlier than. You don’t have to. Israel is sustaining an illegal occupation. Had the businesses executed the due diligence that they’re talking about years in the past, they’d have pulled out of the occupation, as a result of they have been placed on discover by human rights organizations, Israeli, Palestinians, worldwide, by the BDS, Who Earnings and the others, of the dangers that they have been incurring, they usually have been simply not registering that.
And that is why in the present day I’m telling to the businesses, beneath worldwide legislation, your obligation when it comes to due diligence, which, on this case, needs to be greater, due diligence, is to not be immediately linked, to not contribute to, to not trigger human rights influence. So, guys, it’s a really low threshold. Right here, we aren’t speaking of influence. We’re speaking of violation of self-determination, annexation and everlasting occupation, that if you’re engaged with, you might be a part of, a technique or one other. You’re immediately linked to. And then you definitely have to be held accountable, to your shoppers, firstly, and probably both judges.
However then there are, like, Elbit, IAI and Leonardo. Leonardo is Italian. I imply, they’ve been, with intent, information and function, together with like corporations like Palantir, offering companies, applied sciences and instruments which have been used to boost the killing equipment of and the killing capability of Israel’s equipment.
And with out the pension — sorry, with out the banks and different monetary establishments, like BlackRock and Vanguard, Israel would have by no means been capable of maintain its financial system, which went from constructive to deficit quickly — I imply, between November and February, March 2024. And it’s been the banks giving entry to credit score, serving to promote Israeli bonds, and so injecting capital, in order that Israel might proceed to put money into its financial system. And now why $70 billion have been accrued by the Israeli inventory change within the final month? As a result of after the struggle between Israel and Iran, supported by the USA, the necessity to rearm, and it’s clear amongst European international locations, amongst Western international locations. I imply, NATO is simply calling member states to offer an additional 5% of their finances. And that is what’s enriching the businesses, as a result of Israel ultimately is promoting these weapons, it’s promoting this expertise.
And nothing is impartial, as a result of if you suppose that the European — European universities, for instance, or American universities have cracked down so harshly the protests of the scholars. Why? As a result of they have been pointing the fingers on the nerve and demonstrating that if these universities have been to lose the income or the endowment they have been having due to the partnership with Israeli universities or with the EU Horizon program or with the protection trade, they are going to most likely lose rather a lot and go bankrupt.
AMY GOODMAN: I do know you need to depart. What do the sanctions imply? I imply, you’re talking out in every single place. Is the United Nations supporting you, expressing help for you as their particular rapporteur on the occupied Palestine territory? And may you come into the USA?
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: I don’t know. I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m nonetheless — Amy, I’m nonetheless attempting to make sense of it. However what I do know, what I do know, and that is additionally the story of my land, coming from south of Italy. Look, these Mafia-style strategies work provided that we, the individuals, are scared and silent. If we aren’t scared and we aren’t silent and we stand united, we can transfer the system from this horrible lawlessness and nonsense to a spot of accountability. And that is what I need to stand for in the present day.
AMY GOODMAN: Francesca Albanese, we need to thanks a lot for being with us, U.N. particular rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory. We’ll hyperlink to your report, “From financial system of occupation to financial system of genocide.” The Trump administration asserting this week it’s imposing sanctions on Albanese, alleging she’s focusing on Individuals and Israelis for prosecution by the Worldwide Prison Court docket. Amongst those that have additionally been sanctioned are the Worldwide Prison Court docket chief prosecutor Karim Khan within the final months. Francesca Albanese was becoming a member of us from Slovenia. To see Part 1 of our dialog, go to democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.
