As the war in Gaza enters its third year, tensions between Israel and the United Nations remain fraught. UN agencies have faced frequent blockages in providing aid and documenting Israel’s attacks and human-rights violations. Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, has been one of the crisis’s most outspoken voices – and one of its most controversial. Barred by Israel from entering the region and sanctioned by the US, Albanese spoke to Monocle Radio’s Chris Cermak from Rome, where she shared her view on the UN’s diminished role in the conflict and what hope remains. Here are some of the highlights from the conversation.

The below has been edited for length and clarity. Listen to the full conversation with Francesca Albanese on ‘The Briefing’ on Monocle Radio. 

On the current situation in Gaza:
“The Gaza Strip has suffered the most violent military campaign in modern history. While it is great that the carpet bombing has stopped with the ceasefire, the fires have not. Nearly 250 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombs and sniper fire since the truce began and humanitarian aid, which was supposed to be delivered, has not been entering. Yes, the UN has begun operating again but more than half of the Gaza Strip remains occupied by the Israeli army – and it is building infrastructure, which makes me think that it intends to stay.”

About investigating a conflict in a region that she is barred from entering:
“Israel has prevented special rapporteurs from entering the occupied Palestinian territories since 2008, so that is nothing new. I have chosen to report at the meta level: to describe systemic and widespread actions and point to the systems and reasons behind them. I have written four reports: two to the UN Human Rights Council and two to the UN General Assembly. They document the genocide and the reasons behind it, those who are profiting from it and why it hasn’t been stopped. If you read the last report, you’ll see that the genocide in Gaza is a collective crime. Israel has not acted alone: various UN member states have provided weapons to Israel. In fact, 26 nations have been directly or indirectly connected to the Israeli military industry.”

On the future of governance in the Palestinian territories:
“I understand that the relationship between Israel and Hamas seems like a binary one, especially from the perspective of a Western audience. But Hamas has long been a problematic organisation for Palestinians. I travelled to Gaza in the years immediately following Hamas’s takeover and I can tell you that there was a sense of frustration, which has since grown. And today, the problem is not just with Hamas or the Palestinian authority – it’s with the reality that refuses to give Palestinians the freedom to choose for themselves. Hamas would be less of a problem if the people of Palestine were allowed to determine their own future.”

On the UN’s future role in the Middle East:
“The UN is being destroyed piece by piece due to the assault on Gaza. The war has exposed the institution’s lack of capacity as well as its lack of centrality in interpreting the law, enforcing the law and using all the available mechanisms to prevent conflicts. This is evident in the case of Palestine but it isn’t any different if you look at the other 55-plus conflicts currently going on in the world. From Ukraine to Sudan, the UN has been completely sidelined.”

Listen to the full interview on the Thursday 13 November episode of ‘The Briefing’ on Monocle Radio.