As the International Court of Justice takes its next steps on investigating and prosecuting war crimes in Israel’s war on Gaza, the top expert on Palestine at the United Nations is pushing for even more international accountability.

In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with The Intercept, U.N. special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese, called for top European Union officials — including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — to face charges of complicity in war crimes over their support for Israel during its 18-month assault on Gaza.

“They will have to understand that immunity cannot equate with impunity. ”

“The fact that the two highest figures of the EU continue business as usual engagements with Israel is beyond deplorable,” Albanese said. “I’m not someone who says, ‘History will judge them’ — they will have to be judged before then. And they will have to understand that immunity cannot equate with impunity.”

Israel has killed more than 50,000 people and destroyed almost all of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure since an attack by Hamas in October 2023. Most of the dead were civilians — including tens of thousands of women and children.

Israel’s initial aim of returning hostages taken by Hamas morphed into a U.S.-backed vision for ethnically cleaning Palestinians from Gaza. To that end, Israel’s army has intensified lethal attacks, along with a watertight embargo on food, water, electricity, and aid.

“It is impossible not to see this as an intent to exterminate,” the EU’s former foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell wrote late last month.

A complaint against the Leyen, the European Commission president, was

© The Intercept