THE concept of a ‘rules-based order’ was something of a joke long before Israel embarked on the latest phase of its genocide in October 2023. The violence of the oppressed on Oct 7 that year was almost welcomed as an excuse to impose a final solution. The Nazi-like brutality of all that followed has been facilitated — at times even encouraged — by some of the most consequential nations.

What is at least equally appalling is the determination of the West, spearheaded by the US, to intimidate those who dare to stand up for human rights. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for occupied Palestinian Territories, is the first UN representative to have been sanctioned by the US —because she was not only among the first to call out the genocide, but also to rigorously detail the complicity of particular nations and corporations.

Apart from being denied entry to the US, she can’t use credit cards, since the issuing institutions are American. After a US court last month blocked the sanctions, they were reimposed by an appeal court. These technicalities are only the tip of the iceberg. Apart from death threats, Albanese has also had to contend with the anonymous warning that her (then pre-teen) daughter would be raped, while her........

© Dawn