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Francesca Albanese, the UN rapporteur who was sanctioned by the US last week, has vowed not to be silenced as she celebrated the 30-nation conference in Bogotá as “the most significant political development in the past 20 months.” The conference, which includes China, Spain, and Qatar, aims to end Israel’s occupation of Palestine and is considered an “existential hour” for both Israel and the Palestinian people.
The conference will set out steps for participating countries to take to implement a UN general assembly motion that mandates the end of Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestine. The motion set a deadline of September 2025 to implement a July 2024 international court of justice advisory opinion that deemed Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories as unlawful.
The ICJ advisory opinion called on UN member states to not render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory. The UK has yet to take any steps in response to the ICJ opinion.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro believes the conference will show the world’s commitment to collective action to end Israel’s military action. The conference aims to agree on a detailed plan of political, economic, and legal actions, but there are differing opinions on how far states can go politically or legally to isolate Israel, a country that feels secure with US support.
The Hague Group was initially formed by South Africa and Colombia, but has since grown to include countries like Algeria, Brazil, Spain, Indonesia, and Qatar.
